An alleged sexual assault complaint and possible swatting incident at an area campground is under investigation.

Deputies with the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office responded around 7:16am Sunday to the campground in the Proud Lake State Recreation area near Wixom on a report of a victim who had just been sexually assaulted at one of the camp sites and was running for help. Detectives believed this was a “swatting” incident and trying to locate the caller. “Swatting” is when someone makes a prank call to emergency services in an attempt to bring about the dispatch of a large number of armed police officers to a particular address.

The alleged victim had called a non-emergency number into the Sheriff’s Operations Center and advised that she had suffered stab wound on the leg by a knife that the assailant had threatened her with. The victim said she did not know her attacker and she was walking on a nearby trail but did not know the specific location. The cell phone was a WI-FI only type phone and was unable to be “pinged” and police say the caller refused to call back on a 9-1-1 line.

Deputies, the Commerce Township Fire Department and rangers from the Proud Lake Campground say a thorough search of the campground property was conducted An off-road vehicle was brought in by the fire department, as well as off-road trail riding vehicles by campground personnel. The Sheriff’s Office says pedestrian trails, boat launches, parked motor vehicles, camp sites and multiple cabins were checked but the victim was not located.

Information that was received was that the victim’s cell phone had a 616 area code and that her number was returning to the west side of the state, possibly the Berrien Springs area per the service provider. Personnel conducting the ground search were satisfied that the call was a hoax and discontinued their area search. The investigation continues and authorities are working to locate the caller. (JM)