A former Santa Clarita Valley stringer and breaking news reporter accused of making false emergency reports to first responders returned to court on Wednesday.
Jose Trejo, 19, was arrested earlier this year in connection to repeated anonymous calls being placed to a number of government agencies reporting false emergencies.
A few days after his initial arrest, he was formally arraigned and entered a not guilty plea to eight separate misdemeanor counts of falsely reporting an emergency.
He is set to return to court once again on Aug. 17.
According to investigators, the case against Trejo was opened when the Fire Department, as well as other first responder agencies, said they had repeatedly received calls from an untraceable backline that alleged everything from fires, to traffic collisions, to serious injuries.
On his social media, Trejo listed himself as a breaking news photographer working with What’s Up SCV, a locally run and focused Instagram page that posts and reposts about SCV news and culture. In a statement sent out via its Twitter account, What’s Up SCV stated that it does not condone the alleged behavior of Trejo.
“We work as closely as we can with all first responders,” the social media company said via a tweet. “Hearing what he did upset us deeply. This is not what this platform was created for.”
Trejo, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department arrest records, was released on his own recognizance soon after his initial arrest.
