02 Feb 2023 our dispatch received a call from a physician in Athens County, reporting a scam call she received today. The call showed up as coming from the Washington County Courthouse, 740-373-6623. A male subject identified himself at Lt. William Johnson, badge # 4491. The male subject advised her of a Failure To Appear bench warrant out of our office (WCSO). The male told her she needed to pay an $80,000 bond. The physician stated she was then “transferred” to a Captain Trey Hawkins and later “transferred” to a Lt. John Boyer badge #0793 of Cook County, Illinois since that is where she is currently staying. The physician did not give any money and wanted our office to be made aware of this scam.

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office does have a William Johnson, and Troy Hawkins was in the past an employee, however the badge numbers are not correct. We know of no John Boyer. This information would be easy for someone to obtain, i.e. news, website, etc.

Please note that we will never call you and request money for a bond.

If something sounds fishy please call in and inquire. 740-376-7070 ext. 0 is our non emergency dispatch number. Our dispatchers are generally up to date on scams. If we are unaware of a scam, you reporting or questioning it may keep someone else from falling victim to these people.