Woman Arrested For Jamming Emergency Radio During Busy Saturday Night
Hemet Police, CalFire, and Riverside Police investigators arrested 29 year old San Jacinto resident Irene Marie Levy at her mobile home in the 900 block of S. Grand Avenue late Sunday night.
Levy, who is an Amateur Radio technician (often referred to as a Ham Radio tech) was randomly broadcasting on CalFire and Hemet Police radio frequencies from Saturday evening until moments before she was arrested at her residence, according to police.
They say in the 30 hours of radio frequency interruptions by Levy, she made at least one bomb threat and many references to the death of police officers and fire personnel. Levy’s threats and antics interrupted radio communications during a CalFire search and rescue call, a vegetation fire, and a major traffic accident mutual aid scene in Hemet on Saturday evening.
The interruptions continued into the early morning hours of Sunday when Levy made the bomb threat. Levy continued making threats on Hemet Police and CalFire radio frequencies all of Sunday afternoon and evening, according to police.
Hemet Radio Operator Recording #1
CalFire and Riverside County Fire communications technicians started the task of trying to locate the source of the frequency interruptions on CalFire frequencies late Saturday evening.
The communications technicians deployed Direction Finding equipment to triangulate Levy’s transmissions, but since the transmission interruptions were very sporadic, it made finding the source difficult.
Hemet Radio Operator Recording #2
Levy expanded her threatening transmissions to the Hemet Police radio frequency on Sunday morning, according to authorities. On Sunday evening, Riverside Police investigators were requested to assist because their investigators have had some experience in these types of investigations, and they have similar radio frequency direction finding equipment as the CalFire communications technicians. During one of the Hemet Police radio frequency interruptions on Sunday evening, Levy boasted that the police would never find her. Levy disguised her voice as a male adult during all of her illegal transmissions.
Late Sunday evening, Levy’s location was pinpointed to her mobile home. Just after midnight, law enforcement officers from Hemet Police, CalFire, and Riverside Police approached Levy’s mobile home just as she made one final transmission on the Hemet Police frequency. Investigators arrived at her front door just as she finished her last transmission. Hemet Police investigators seized 11 radios, 7 radio frequency scanners, radio frequency lists, computer equipment, and other miscellaneous radio equipment from Levy’s home. Police also seized Levy’s Ham radio technician’s license issued to her by the FCC in September of 2009.
Hemet Radio Operator Recording #3
Levy’s actions caused serious safety concerns for Fire and Police personnel. Levy was booked at the Hemet Police Department Jail for the following charges: Making terrorist threats; False report of a bomb threat; and Maliciously interrupting, disrupting, Impeding, or interfering with the transmission of a public safety radio frequency. Levy’s bail is set at $50,000.00.
It should be noted that Levy’s actions are in no way related to the recent attacks on Gang Task Force officers or other recent attacks on law enforcement officers in Hemet.
