Coast Guard seeks hoax caller whose ‘maydays’ cost $500,000

By Staff The Associated Press

Posted July 24, 2016 3:01 pm EST

1 min read

This article is more than 7 years old and some information may not be up to date.

In a Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011 photo, a Coast Guard boat searches the waters north of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge as the sun sets, after a report of people in the water. AP Photo/The Annapolis Capital, Joshua McKerrow

BALTIMORE – The U.S. Coast Guard says it’s looking for a man who has cost the service about $500,000 after responding to nearly 30 of his fake distress calls.

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In a press release published Friday, the Coast Guard says the 28 calls have originated from around the area of Annapolis, Maryland.

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Each call involved the same male voice and used an emergency radio channel. He’s been making the calls since July 2014. The two most recent calls were made on the night of July 21 and the early morning of July 22.

The Coast Guard also says hoax calls distract rescuers from real emergencies, putting both the public and the responding crews at risk.