Friend's request to make prank call lands Nevada man in jail

Officer Steve Schlup of the Vernon County Sheriff's office was quite surprised after responding to a report of an unusual phone call in which a Nevada man allegedly pretended to be him.

At approximately 7:20 p.m., Jan. 30, Schlup was dispatched to a residence after Miranda Overman, Nevada, reported getting a suspicious call from a man who identified himself as Officer Schlup. The man, later identified as Caleb Hunt, 19, Nevada, allegedly told Overman that Desmond James, an ex-boyfriend of hers, was found dead, and since she was the last person to call his phone, the officer needed to speak with her.

Hunt, claiming to be schlup stated he would come to Overman's house shortly after the call to discuss James' death.

However, the number from which Hunt was calling appeared on Overman's caller ID and did not match that of the Vernon County Sheriff's Office.

Shortly after Hunt's call, Overman received a second call from the same number. This time it was Lacy Black, Nevada, claiming she was the owner of the phone. Black told Overman that she let Hunt use the phone and he lied to her about James being dead.

Officer Schlup reported that he was able to make contact with Black, and learned Hunts address.

According to Schlup, Hunt admitted to making the phone call but said he did it at James' request. Hunt told the officer that James had been receiving numerous phone calls from his ex-girlfriend Overman and wanted them to stop. So, he asked Hunt to tell Overman he had died.

Hunt is set to appear before Vernon County Circuit Judge Neal Quitno on March 13, at 9 a.m. for a pre-trial conference. He is currently facing the Class A misdemeanor charge of impersonating a law enforcement officer and could face up to 1 year in jail and $1,000 in fines. Neither, Black nor James have been charged with any crimes in this case.