By Brendan KirbyPublished: Jun. 13, 2023 at 7:01 AM GMT+8|Updated: Jun. 16, 2023 at 8:08 AM GMT+8

The defendant, Trenton Lisak, from Mobile, has pleaded not guilty to charges of obstructing public safety communication and drug possession on June 15, 2023.

According to the allegations made by prosecutors, he employed expensive and extremely advanced equipment from an apartment situated at the Tower on Ryan Park. Mobile County 911 officials assert that this action essentially halted communications in downtown Mobile on June 6 and caused disruptions for the following week.

The judge has set Lisak's preliminary hearing to take place on July 19th.

ORIGINAL STORY:

Expensive and advanced black market jamming device caused disruptions in police and emergency services transmissions for a considerable amount of time last week, as per law enforcement authorities.

On Saturday, Trenton Edward Lisak was taken into custody by law enforcement for impeding public safety communication, a serious offense that falls under Class C felony and can result in imprisonment for up to ten years. Furthermore, he is facing a drug charge. Prosecutors have revealed that the FBI is also looking into the case.

On Monday, Mobile County District Attorney Keith Blackwood remarked that the charge in question is out of the ordinary. He stressed the gravity of the situation, emphasizing the crucial need for law enforcement and first responders to have seamless communication abilities, regardless of their location, not just limited to downtown areas.

How out of the ordinary!

According to Blackwood, this was an entirely new experience for him. He couldn't remember encountering a similar situation before, especially not to this degree. The substantial quantity of equipment involved made it an exceptionally remarkable occurrence.

Lisak's arrest record discloses multiple charges, such as theft, breaking into cars, possession of a forged instrument, and engaging in criminal mischief.

Mobile County District Judge Jennifer Wright has established a bail amount of $15,000, which aligns with the highest recommended bail for this particular offense. Furthermore, she has mandated that 10 percent of the bail be paid in cash. Additionally, Judge Wright has imposed an extra $5,000 bail specifically for the drug charge.

Moreover, the judge established a curfew spanning from 8 p.m. until 8 a.m. and mandated that Lisak, who is 31 years old, refrain from approaching the Tower at Ryan Park situated in downtown. This particular apartment complex is where authorities uncovered the equipment responsible for interfering with the communication networks of all 57 law enforcement, fire, and emergency medical agencies associated with the Mobile County Communications District.

Lisak's booking information indicates that the aforementioned address is his place of residence. Nevertheless, the prosecutor informed the judge that investigators have reservations about whether he was truly residing there.

Robert Jackson, a district administrator, characterized it as "an exceptionally advanced apparatus arranged within the apartment, specifically engineered to disrupt our signal."

Jackson added, "In order to locate it, we had to make adjustments to our instruments."

FOX10 News was informed by Charlie McNichol, the director of the 911 system, that the interference caused a complete halt in communications for a full day last week.

Last week, on Tuesday, it brought about notable complications in the downtown region," he remarked. "Specifically, our tower site located at Government Plaza was the origin of the alarm signals. As a result, the first responders encountered significant challenges in their communication endeavors."

It remains unclear what the motive may have been, officials said. Blackwood said he does not know what the defendant was planning, or where he got the equipment.

McNichol said he does not know if Lisak just enjoys watching chaos or if he had something more sinister planned and attempted to jam communications as part of that.

"This individual had some gps jamming equipment that you buy on the black market," he said. "It's illegal to even possess it. And that's what was causing the problems."

Copyright 2023 WALA. All rights reserved.