Bryon Hefner Pleads Guilty To Making Annoying Phone Calls To Treatment Facility

BOSTON (CBS) -- Bryon Hefner appeared in a courtroom Monday to be arraigned on charges relating to hundreds of "annoying phone calls" he made to the McLean Hospital facility while he was a patient there late last year into early January.

According to the Middlesex District Attorney, Hefner was charged with four counts of making annoying phone calls and two counts of criminal harassment. He pleaded guilty to the first four counts and agreed to sufficient facts on the two counts of criminal harassment.

The 31-year-old, who is the estranged husband of former State Senate President Stan Rosenberg, had apparently been using internet-based websites including www.prankowl.com, www.prankdial.com, and www.myphonerobot.com to make prank calls to multiple staff members between December 20, 2017, and January 8, 2018.

"On December 25, 2017 a staff member reported to Lincoln Police that the facility had been receiving apparent prank phone calls. The victim reported that on this day the facility had received approximately 50 phone calls between their landline and two cell phones," said the D.A. in a statement. Further investigation revealed that other staff members were receiving similar automated calls, which were from different phone numbers.

Hefner was sentenced to one year of probation, provided he stay away and has no contact with the victims, stay away from the McLean Hospital facility in Lincon, completes 50 hours of community service, complies with mental health treatments, and does not make any prank phone calls.

Allegations of sexual assault against Hefner first arose in November of 2017. He has since pleaded not guilty to several related criminal charges. As part of the fallout, Rosenberg resigned from his role as president and then from the State Senate altogether after a Senate Ethics Committee investigation found he failed to protect the Senate from Hefner.