SEBRING − A Sebring couple has fallen victim to a nationwide swatting spree targeting Republican lawmakers.

James and Joni Lovato − already terrified after Sebring Police swarmed their home in response to a false alarm call on Nov. 19 − were watching TV around 8:30 p.m. Wednesday in their Kentucky Avenue home when police showed up after receiving a call from a man named “Jamal.”

“They were shining a light in the window and I was talking to my mother in Denver,” James Lovato said. “I said, ‘Mom I need to hang up. The police are here.'”

Sebring Police Detective Andrew Reed confirmed the incident on Thursday, and said the FBI has been notified.

Swatted: Sebring couple terrified after false alarm brings police to home in November

Reed said a police dispatcher received a 911 call from a man who identified himself as “Jamal,” who claimed he caught his wife cheated and said he stabbed her 15 times. He also said he had an AR-15 rifle and a hostage − his wife’s lover − and demanded a $10,000 ransom. He also claimed to have bombs.

The caller gave the Lovato address.

“If I don’t get the cash, I will blow this house up. I have five bombs. Goodbye,” the caller told the dispatcher.

At least three Republican members of Congress, including Sen. Rick Scott of Florida and several Ohio lawmakers have been targets of swatting incidents in recent days. Some of those cases also involved similar situations involving a caller who identified himself as “Jamal.”

Reed said he contacted and provided federal agents with the information. He also conferred with Florida law enforcement.

In November, police surrounded the Lovato house because a man who called himself “Josh” called a veterans crisis hotline and threatened suicide and a shootout with officers. The hotline said the call came the Lovatos’ address.

It later was determined the caller lived in Akron, and the threat was a false alarm. No charges were filed in that case.

Related reading: What is swatting? What to know about hoax threats after latest string of attempts

The Nov. 19 incident made headlines, and Reed believes that is the reason the Lovatos became entangled in the national spree. He said the caller or callers read the story and added the couple to their list.

Reed added the November incident was not a true example of swatting − a prank call to cause a massive police response − because the man had a crisis and called the hotline for help. The hotline had the wrong address, he said.

This time, Reed said, the Lovatos were swatted.

“We’re sick of this,” James Lovato said Wednesday night. “We can’t even go outside without being afraid.”

The couple is weighing their legal options.

“Mr. Lovato, he’s frustrated,” Reed said. “I fully understand. This (swatting) poses a huge public risk. It is dangerous.”

Reach Benjamin Duer at 330-580-8567 or ben.duer@cantonrep.com. On X (formerly Twitter): @bduerREP.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Sebring couple swatted for a second time in national swatting spree