Westernport woman charged after false hostage report prompts large police response

WESTERNPORT, Md. — A Westernport woman is facing multiple charges after allegedly making a false report about a juvenile being held at gunpoint, prompting a significant police response on New Year’s Eve, the Allegany County Sheriff’s Office announced.

Deputies were dispatched to Front Street in Westernport, Maryland, after receiving the report from Ashley Nicole Miller, 41, who claimed that two individuals were holding a juvenile hostage inside a residence.

In response, the Allegany County Special Operations Response Team (S.O.R.T), composed of sheriff’s deputies and Cumberland police officers, was deployed to the scene, along with tactical medics from the Allegany County Department of Emergency Services and negotiators from the Western Maryland Crisis Negotiations Team.

After a two-hour investigation, authorities determined that Miller’s complaint was false. She was treated on-site by Tri-Towns Ambulance and transported to UPMC.

Miller has been charged with making a false report of an emergency, making a false statement to a police officer, and reckless endangerment. She will be served with an arrest warrant upon her release from UPMC.

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