A Baker teen who participated in a national swatting group was sentenced last Monday to four years in state prison followed by two years of probation for making hoax emergency calls that affected families across multiple states.
- Landyn Whittington, 16, apologized during his sentencing hearing for actions he committed when he was 14 years old. He has spent the last 20 months in county jail awaiting resolution of his case.
“I would just like to say that I apologize to you, for the families involved, and for all the time I wasted of your time and all like the families that were scared,” Whittington told the court. “This punishment will set me straight. I will not be back in the courtroom ever again.”
Detective Charles Tyree with the Hendricks County Sheriff’s Office in Indiana participated in the hearing via Zoom, speaking on behalf of families affected by Whittington’s swatting calls to residences in his county.
“Just want to thank Okaloosa County for investigating and prosecuting these cases,” Detective Tyree said. “I just sincerely hope that Mr. Whittington accepts his punishment and he’s able to change his ways and be a productive adult.”
An investigator, who worked on the case, delivered a victim impact statement describing the widespread trauma caused by the incidents.
- “The swatting incidents committed by the defendant were not isolated or impulsive. They were deliberate, calculated, and repeated with full awareness of the chaos, fear, and trauma they would unleash,” the investigator told the court.
The incidents targeted multiple private residences across the nation as well as a high school in Texas. The investigator said families were “suddenly confronted by heavily armed officers” and “innocent people forced to comply with high stress police commands.”
Judge David Oberliesen noted that Whittington’s internet search history showed he had researched “how much prison can I get for swatting” before committing the crimes.
“It shows a willingness to do wrong even when you know it’s wrong,” Oberliesen said. “Doing harm to people knowingly harming people and doing it anyway is a special kind of evil that cannot exist.”
Oberliesen explained that under normal adult sentencing guidelines, Whittington could have faced a minimum of seven to eight years in prison, with a maximum of life in prison. The reduced sentence was possible through the youthful offender sentencing structure and victim forgiveness.
- “It’s only through their compassion and forgiveness that you’re not doing those things,” Oberliesen told Whittington. “These are people you harmed, but they still were willing to give you the chance to make a life for yourself.”
The sentence includes additional conditions: letters of apology to each victim, mental health counseling, no contact with co-defendants or victims, no electronics except for school purposes while on probation, and no drugs or alcohol.
Whittington was originally charged in connection with a November 2023 swatting incident at Baker School, where a hoax call claimed an armed person was preparing to carry out a mass shooting. The threat prompted lockdowns at Baker School, Crestview High and other area schools.
Investigators later tied Whittington to multiple swatting calls in New Jersey, Arizona, Indiana and Texas. The incidents were part of a national group that pays members to make hoax emergency calls using cryptocurrency.
The plea agreement was entered on May 5, with the sentencing hearing held Monday to allow victim impact statements to be heard.
