A team of Riverside County (Calif.) radio technicians and police used radio direction-finding equipment to locate and arrest a woman who is charged with making threats and interrupting radio transmissions on public safety frequencies over a two-day period. Irene Levy, 29, was tracked to her mobile home in Hemet, police say, and then arrested just seconds after her last transmission. Police say she is a licensed Amateur radio operator, and that they seized 11 radios, seven scanners, computer gear and her FCC license during the arrest. Levy allegedly transmitted bomb threats, referred to the deaths of officers and firefighters, and interrupted several major incidents, including a mutual aid vehicle accident and vegetation fire. She transmitted on local CalFire and Hemet PD channels, both in the 154/155 MHz band. Police did not say where she obtained the transmitters or how she broadcast on the public safety frequencies. Read more about the arrest here.
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This so sad. Ms. Levy put public safety personnel & the public in harms way with her transmission abuse. She also will likely lose her amateur radio license (& she should!). She brought this federal offense & loss of her ham license on herself. As a humble Amateur Radio licensee, I am glad her abusive transmission was brought to an end and hopefully no one in the public safety or the general public was hurt by her stupidity.
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