BLANCHESTER — A Highland County man faces charges relating to allegedly making false alarms to Blanchester police.

At around 2:30 a.m. Tuesday, Blanchester police were dispatched to an apartment in the 7600 block of Rosewood Drive on a report of a woman being held against her will at gunpoint in a bedroom.

“Ptl. Roger Epure responded and found the apartment dark and no sounds coming from within,” Blanchester Chief of Police Scott Reinbolt said in a news release. “Ptl. Epure spoke to the reporting party, Justin Osborn, age 28, who stated he resides at the Rosewood apartment but was at a relative’s house in Highland County.

“Osborn stated he had a camera set up inside his bedroom in the apartment, that he was accessing that camera from his cell phone, and that his girlfriend was tied up and being held at gunpoint by a man inside the bedroom. Ptl. Epure spoke with neighbors who could not provide any insight.”

Epure requested assistance from the Clinton County Sheriff’s Office, and several deputies arrived and established a perimeter around the apartment. He also requested assistance from the Highland County Sheriff’s Office, Reinbolt said, asking them to go to the home Osborn was calling from to see if they could confirm what he was claiming to see on camera, stated Reinbolt.

“Ptl. Epure continued to speak with Osborn via phone, who claimed his girlfriend was screaming for help, yet no one at the scene could hear any screams. Using Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicle records, Ptl. Epure learned that Osborn’s girlfriend resides in Martinsville. A sheriff’s deputy went there and found the woman there and safe.

“Highland County deputies arrived at the home Osborn was calling from, viewed the live feed camera of the Rosewood apartment, and observed no one in distress.”

Reinbolt said that later Tuesday morning the Blanchester Police Department received another call making similar claims. Officers again confirmed that no one was in distress at the Rosewood apartment.

“On Tuesday afternoon Sgt. Brian Noah of the Blanchester Police Department obtained a warrant for the arrest of Osborn, charging him with two counts of making false alarms, both misdemeanor offenses,” said Reinbolt. “For the next 24 hours Blanchester police and Highland County sheriff’s deputies made attempts to locate and arrest Osborn. During a search of the Rosewood apartment yesterday, Blanchester police officers seized a moderate amount of marijuana as well as evidence of marijuana trafficking.”

Late Wednesday afternoon, Osborn “wandered into the Highland County Sheriff’s Office to inquire about an unrelated matter, was recognized by deputies there, and was placed under arrest,” stated Reinbolt. “A Blanchester police officer went to Highland County, where he took custody of Osborn and delivered him to the Clinton County Jail.”

Reinbolt said Osborn was released on bond Wednesday night. He will answer the charges in the Clinton County Municipal Court.

Osborn’s criminal record shows several arrests, including a 2013 arrest for a weapons charge in Brown County which resulted in a 17-month prison stint, said Reinbolt.