Gloucester Woman Pleads Guilty to Making a False Distress Call
A 29-year-old woman from Gloucester, Virginia, pleaded guilty yesterday to making a false distress call in a move that sparked a massive search operation in the Severn River.
Ashley Strum-Smith, age 29, of Gloucester, Va., pleaded guilty to Making a False Distress Call, a charge that carries a maximum penalty of six years imprisonment, a fine of $250,000 and $82,764 in restitution.
According to a statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, on August 13, 2012, Strum-Smith called in a false report of a ship taking on water in the Severn River. The call led to a two-hour search operation involving multiple rescue vehicles from the Abingdon Volunteer Fire and Rescue Squad, Gloucester Fire Department, York County Fire Department, Mathews Fire Department, and the United States Coast Guard.
The search operation cost over $82,000 and it was eventually determined that the call was a hoax. Strum-Smith admitted making the false report.
Strum-Smith will be sentenced on October 20, 2014, in Norfolk, Va., where she faces a maximum penalty of six years imprisonment, a fine of $250,000 and $82,764 in restitution.
This case was investigated by the Coast Guard Criminal Investigative Service and the Gloucester County Sheriff’s Department, with Assistant United States Attorney Eric M. Hurt prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.
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Key Facts
- State: Virginia
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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