Man arrested, charged with false 911 calls

An arrest has been made of a man who is suspected of having made multiple false radio transmissions over the Litchfield County Dispatch 911 system. Connecticut State Police (CSP) say more arrests are possible.Adam Perrelli, 35, of Great Barrington, Mass., was arrested on a warrant April 4 by Pittsfield Police. He was charged as a fugitive from justice and arraigned that day in a Massachusetts court. Perrelli waived extradition and was turned over to the CSP.He is accused of using a two-way radio to make false calls for help and to interfere with real fire and ambulance calls between Dec. 25, 2013 and Jan. 6, 2014. He often pretended to be the fire chiefs from local towns when making the transmissions.Police said they believe the calls were made on a lost or stolen two-way radio from a local emergency department or from a programmable transceiver-type electronic device. The calls were of poor transmission quality — likely the result of being placed from a distance. There were no serious ramifications as a result of the calls. In one instance, there was an attempt to cancel a fire call. An engine and crew already on the way to the scene continued on — and reported a fire was in fact at the site.The crimes were taken very personally by local residents and volunteer emergency responders. CSP Western District Major Crime Squad detectives made public some of the radio transmissions. They credited distribution by the media for cultivating several leads from citizens coming forward with information.Police in Great Barrington and Pittsfield, the Massachusetts State Police and the Berkshire County District Attorney’s Office assisted in the investigation.Perrelli was charged in Connecticut with first-degree reporting a false incident, third-degree interruption of computer service and tampering with or fabricating evidence, all felonies. He was also charged with interfering with an officer and reckless endangerment, both misdemeanor crimes. He was held on a $150,000 bond and arraigned in Bantam Superior Court in Litchfield April 7.The CSP Public Information Office is declining to release details about potential motives in the crime as the case remains under investigation. CSP is continuing to encourage the public to come forward with any information by calling 860-626-1821.