On April 15, Owen Adair, 23, of Vinalhaven, pled guilty to making a hoax distress call to the U.S. Coast Guard from the shore on Vinalhaven last autumn. He had, according to the Coast Guard, made the call Sept. 30, 2014, which resulted in rescue crews searching for approximately four hours for an injured fisherman. The hoax involved 16 search and rescue personnel and cost more than $30,000.

Knowingly and willfully communicating a false distress message to the Coast Guard and employing them to attempt to save lives and property when no help was needed is a violation of Title 14, United States Code, Section 88c. The violation is punishable by up to six years in prison and a $250,000 fine. If a minor makes the hoax call, parents may be held responsible.

Adair, 23, had “knowingly and willfully communicated a false distress message to the U.S. Coast Guard and thereby caused the Coast Guard to attempt to save a life when, in fact, no help was needed,” wrote Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Chapman, in the case filed in U.S. District Court. “Specifically, the defendant engaged in a radio conversation with a Coast Guard radio operator in which he falsely claimed that a person aboard his vessel was seriously injured and urgently in need of assistance....”  

The Coast Guard investigation of the case said Adair initiated a May Day call, spoke with the radio operator for one half hour and said a crewman aboard his fishing vessel the Lila Rose, had suffered neck injuries. The Coast Guard said that Adair was actually in his truck, on land, using a VHF radio. The Lila Rose, meanwhile, was at her mooring.

“When our searches come up empty-handed, the hardest part is never knowing whether the distress was real or not,” said Lt. Scott McCann, Command Center Chief at Coast Guard Sector Northern New England, in an April 16 news release. “We have a limited amount of boats, aircraft, and personnel. Responding to hoax calls puts our crews at risk and decreases our ability to respond to boaters who need our help.”

Coast Guard Sector Northern New England responds to more than 12 appeals for help on a typical summer day, the Coast Guard said. False alerts restrict their ability to respond to real emergencies.

In 2014, the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Northern New England responded to 464 search and rescue cases, with 76 of them never resolved.

The Coast Guard is asking the public to help eliminate hoax calls.

“If you have information which might lead to the perpetrator of a hoax, please call U.S. Coast Guard Sector Northern New England at (207) 767-0303 or contact the Federal Communications Commission,” the Coast Guard said.