Man Arrested For Making False Burglary Report In Fayette County
A man is accused of making a false report to Fayette County sheriff's officials that set off a search for a suspect.
Deputies arrested 32-year-old Patrick Schanbeck of Watkins early Friday after authorities received a 911 call that a burglary was in progress at a business in Waucoma. Sheriff's officials said Schanbeck called the dispatch center just before 4 AM to report that he had been shot by an air gun by someone who was on foot.
The call led to a search for the suspect. Sheriff's deputies from Fayette and Winneshiek counties conducted the search, which involved the Decorah firefighters' night drone and an Iowa State Patrol airplane.
After authorities completed their investigation, they determined Schanbeck misled them. Fayette County sheriff's officials said the reported burglary never happened.
Schanbeck was taken into custody on a charge of making false reports to a 911 communications center, a serious misdemeanor. He was transported to the Fayette County Jail.