Former Georgia governor candidate Kandiss Taylor says her home was swatted
Former Georgia Gov. candidate Kandiss Taylor took to social media, says her home was "swatted"
Former Georgia Gov. candidate Dr. Kandiss Taylor shared a video on Twitter explaining that her house was "swatted." Swatted is a term used when someone makes a hoax call to 911, falsely reporting a violent crime to draw a response from law enforcement.
APPLING COUNTY, Ga. - Former Georgia Republican gubernatorial candidate Kandiss Taylor says her family were victims of a swatting call overnight.
Swatting is the act of making a hoax call to 911 to try and draw a response from law enforcement, usually a SWAT team. Technology makes it appear that the emergency call is coming from the victim’s phone. Sometimes swatting is done for revenge, sometimes it's a prank, and it can be deadly.
In a video posted to Twitter shortly after 2:30 a.m. Tuesday, Taylor called the ordeal "traumatizing." Law enforcement officers responded to her residence in Baxley, Georgia overnight after someone called police, falsely claiming that someone had been murdered at Taylor's residence.
"My children were woken up from their bed", said Taylor. "Trauma doesn't even begin to explain what happened at my house. But in my sheriff's defense they thought they were protecting me. They got a call, a female voice to text, saying they had shot their husband five times and were going to shoot themselves...I don't care what political party you are, this is evil. This is not OK. And I will find out who swatted my house. And I will do everything in my power to bring them to justice."
Appling County Sheriff's deputies, joined by state and city law enforcement officers, rushed to Taylor's residence after the sheriff's office received a 911 call at around 12:30 Tuesday morning in which the caller said they had shot somebody at their home. The caller gave Taylor's address.
"Was a voice activated call from a number we didn't recognize initially, it said I can't speak so I have to text you my message," Sheriff Melton said. "The deputies, they were just responding to the call itself to ensure the safety of a family and a household. We didn't know who lived here at that time."
The former candidate, who ran against Gov. Brian Kemp and former Sen. David Perdue, lives in Baxley, Georgia with her husband and children ages 14 to 17.
"They came with all their weapons - rifles pointed at my house ready to shoot if they needed to kill me if I opened the door," Taylor said.
She says her teenage son was the one who told her about the police presence.
"I don't care what political party you are - this is evil. This is not OK. And I will find out who swatted my house. And I will do everything in my power to bring them to justice," she said.
Despite losing the Republican primary race for Georgia Governor, Taylor has still remained in the spotlight. Just last week, an explosion at the Georgia Guidestones in Elbert County brought a renewed look at Taylor's campaign, and a campaign promise which included "ridding" the state of the mysterious granite monument she called "satanic."
Taylor responded to the "swatting" hoax in a written statement saying:
"Last night, I, like dozens of other conservative leaders, was SWATTED by law enforcement after they received a false report from the ‘TextNow’ App.
"‘TextNow’ is being weaponized by extremists to target and harass American Christians and their families. Since TextNow’s Owner, Derek Ting, and the ‘TextNow’ App refuses to cooperate with law enforcement on this matter, I am calling for an investigation into Derek Ting and ‘TextNow’. I am also calling for a corporate shut down of the app company until they can identify and prosecute the extremist terrorists that they are currently harboring.
"Christian Americans who have also been recently targeted using the TextNow App:
"Stew Peters, Nicholas J. Fuentes, Ethan Ralph, Tim Pool, Bryson Gray, Dalton Clodfelter, just to name a handful.
"The method of swatting your ideological opponent is nothing new. Globally, evil and insane people will always try to intimidate our families and our mission. We will not be swayed or fearful, but instead, we will focus on God’s Word, which clearly states:
"'No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, And their righteousness is from Me,' Says the LORD.' -Isaiah 54:17
"Christians across the World will face persecution, but that is only because baby killers, communists, sodomites, and cowards, that are in league with satan, hate the real living God that dwells in us:
"If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first.- John 15:18
"We will not waiver or be afraid. Instead, I am calling for an investigation into Text Now, who is aiding and abetting Demonic Left Wing Extremists who are committing acts of terrorism against Christian Americans."
A TextNow spokesman resonded to Taylor's accusations in a written statement saying,
"Our mission is to provide everyone with an affordable way to communicate, and the safety and privacy of our users is our number one priority. We do not condone harassment or violence of any kind and take reports of abuse on our platform seriously. We actively work to identify and disable accounts violating our terms of service or being used for illegal activity.
"When requested, we work closely with law enforcement through the legal process and comply with all valid legal requests. Law enforcement agencies requesting information can contact us by email at lawenforcement@textnow.com."
Sheriff Melton said he will ask the GBI to assist in the investigation.
Who is Kandiss Taylor?
Taylor is a GOP activist and educator.
Taylor was outspoken against the established Republican candidates David Perdue and incumbent Gov. Brian Kemp. Taylor called for an audit of the 2020 election.
She said she supports gun rights and is pro-life. On her campaign site, Taylor says some of the topics she's passionate about include education and mental health.
Taylor lost the GOP primary to Kemp.