PORT ANGELES — A hoax on April Fools’ Day tied up police and Coast Guard resources for a half-hour and cost at least $10,000 before it was determined to be a prank.
At 7:42 p.m. Wednesday, a cellphone caller told Clallam County emergency dispatchers that a 15-year-old runaway girl was in distress in the water of Port Angeles Harbor near the Rayonier property at the northern end of Ennis Street, said Brian Smith, Port Angeles deputy police chief.
Port Angeles police and Elwha tribal Fish and Wildlife officers searched from the shoreline.
A 45-foot rescue vessel and a Dolphin helicopter were launched from Coast Guard Air Station/Sector Field Office Port Angeles on Ediz Hook in the search.
Police Sgt. Glen Roggenbuck, who was the incident commander, determined the call was a hoax and called off the search at 8:11 p.m.
The call was made on a Verizon cellphone, and the reporting person claimed to be calling from the Port Angeles City Pier, Smith said.
Police think they know who made the call — an adult man— but are continuing to investigate.
“There may be extenuating circumstances,” Smith said.
The case will be forwarded to the county prosecuting attorney’s office for a decision as to whether to file charges of false reporting, he said.
The cost of operating a Coast Guard response boat is $9,006 per hour, and a helicopter costs $12,151 for each hour in the air — bringing the Coast Guard cost of a half-hour search to $10,578, according to Petty Officer 1st Class George Degener, spokesman for the Coast Guard in Seattle.
Smith had no estimate Thursday of the cost for Port Angeles police.
“We did the normal level of response,” he said.
No costs were available from the Elwha tribe.
Smith pointed out that several city police and tribal officers were called away from other duties, Smith said.
The half-hour search was expensive, but ultimately, the more important issue was tying up rescuers who might be needed elsewhere, Degener said.
“These calls are very serious,” he said.
“When we are out searching for someone in a hoax-type situation, it takes away from someone in real trouble.”
________
Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arice@peninsuladailynews.com.
