A 16-year-old boy has been arrested in connection to more than 20 crank phone calls that convinced employees at some North Vancouver businesses to set off their sprinkler systems, causing about $100,000 in damage.
Police are recommending 19 count of sending a false message against the Surrey teenager. The charge carries a maximum sentence of two years in prison.
The boy was already known to police because of similar incidents, and was arrested in Nanaimo on a warrant related to another investigation. Investigators say they were directed to the suspect by a newspaper reporter.
"In the days following the incidents we received a number of tips from across the country, all of which pointed to this individual," RCMP Cpl. Peter DeVries said in a release.
"This is a good example of teamwork employed to stop what had quickly become a menace to business owners in North Vancouver."
In all, more than 20 hotels and restaurants received prank calls between Feb. 11 and 13 from someone posing as a fire marshal or a sprinkler maintenance man. In each case, the caller tried to convince an employee or hotel guest to take steps that would set off the business's sprinkler system.
At the North Vancouver Hotel, the prankster convinced guests that there was a gas leak and they needed to activate the sprinklers to prevent an explosion. The sprinklers caused damage to eight rooms.
Mounties assembled an investigative team dedicated exclusively to the prank calls, which police believe were made through an internet phone service.
The flood of calls also prompted firefighters to call 150 restaurants in the City of North Vancouver to warn managers and employees about the calls.
