Attempting to SWAT police in Canada’s capitol during trucker protest, suspect mistakenly called... Ottawa, Ohio

TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) - Charges are forthcoming for an Akron man that attempted to send bomb threats to police in Ottawa.

He got the name right. But the location was off by about 600 miles.

Ottawa is the county seat for Putnam County in northwest Ohio. So when the man, who has yet to be identified, used Google to find the number for police in Canada, Google gave him a number that was closer to home.

“He wasn’t paying attention and just called the first number he found,” said Putnam County Sheriff’s Office Captain Brad Brubaker. “He said he was mad about mask mandates.”

Thousands of protesters continue to gather in the Canadian capitol, protesting COVID vaccine mandates and restrictions, an issue roiling America’s northern neighbor, and gaining global attention.

In the first call, the suspect issued a bomb threat for the address of the Ottawa, Canada city headquarters. An address that doesn’t exist in Ottawa, Ohio.

While Putnam County Sheriff’s deputies were attempting to trace the first call, he called back again, saying he’d been shot.

It was then, after the call had been fully traced, that the dispatcher let the 20-year-old know he had the wrong Ottawa.

Cpt. Brubaker said the man had not been arrested, but a recommendation for charges had been filed with the Putnam Co. attorney and those charges were forthcoming.

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