KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Law enforcement rushed to the home of Tennessee U.S. Representative Tim Burchett over the weekend after what the congressman said was a case of swatting.
Local elected officials received a threatening email on Saturday that led Knox County deputies to descend on his home.
“I don’t know what to do so I think I’ll just confess,” the sender wrote. “I caught my wife cheating on me at (redacted location). I killed the guy she was with and tied her up. She should still be there. Please help me.”
Officials and 911 workers quickly recognized the redacted address as the home of the three-term U.S. House member.
Burchett told NewsNation local affiliate WATE he’s grateful that his family was out to dinner at the time of the incident, but added that things could have gone differently had emergency officials not recognized the address.
“It was 100 percent swatting,” Burchett said. “Somebody could get hurt unintentionally. Somebody could be joking around or trying to do something stupid and you could have a very bad ending. And that’s what swatting is about. It’s about trying to get somebody like myself or law enforcement killed. That’s the ultimate endgame.”
“I must have had 15 or 16 calls from different people who had either gotten the email or heard about it but the sheriff’s office was on top of it. I couldn’t be more pleased with their response.”