Man Gets Prison For Calling In Gunshots Near High School

A Philadelphia man was sentenced to prison for starting a fight at a Falls Township bar and then resisting arrest.

Michael Hutcheon, 37, recently pleaded guilty to one felony count of taunting a police animal, one misdemeanor count of false alarm to an agency of public safety, one misdemeanor count of terroristic threats, one misdemeanor count of resisting arrest, one misdemeanor count of false identification to law enforcement, one misdemeanor count of loitering and prowling at night, one misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct and one summary charge for public drunkenness.

Judge Wallace Bateman sentenced Hutcheon to 15 to 30 months in state prison, with credit for 132 days already serviced.

Falls police said they responded to Pennsbury High School at 1:30 a.m. on May 21 for a report of a man firing a weapon. The officers were already nearby responding to a report of a man who caused a problem at a nearby bar.

After a search, police could not find the armed subject that was reported to Bucks County 9-1-1 call takers, according to court papers.

A K-9 unit was called and tracked down the suspect in the bar incident, later identified as Hutcheon, in brush near Pennsbury High School. Hutcheon refused to come out with his hands up and was verbally abusive toward officers who were trying to get him out from the brush.

In a probable cause affidavit, Lt. Hank Ward removed the police dog from the scene after being worried the pooch would be injured in the incident. After Ward asked the man to come out with his hands up again, Hutcheon said “come in and get me, punk.” As observed by Ward, Hutcheon was seen hiding in the brush, wearing only a muscle shirt.

Hutcheon tried to scuffle with officers as they removed him from the dense brush, police said.

Hutcheon was transported to the hospital, where he continued to struggle with officers while he had the pepper spray washed off.

When officers went back to the scene, they noted a cell phone was found. Officers recorded in court documents it was the same phone that had been used to make the fraudulent 9-1-1 call about the armed man outside the high school.