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Did family cry ... and cry... and cry wolf?
The Buffalo News ^ | 3/4/2006 | T.J. PIGNATARO and DAN HERBECK

Posted on 03/06/2006 5:17:38 PM PST by Macaw

Buffalo emergency crews have become very familiar with one particular home on the West Side.

So far this year, they have received almost 1,000 emergency calls from the same home on 15th Street, seeking help for everything from shootings to fires to severely injured children.

The calls have one thing in common. They're fake.

Sometimes a dozen or more police officers, firefighters and emergency medical technicians have rushed to the location. The situation has upset Buffalo Police and Fire Department officials, who hope the courts will take a hard line with two adults arrested in the incidents.

Juan Merced and Felicita Santiago-Merced face a variety of charges, including failure to properly supervise their nine children. The family lives at 78 15th St., the alleged source of the calls.

"It's very dangerous and very frustrating," said Brian K. Martinez of the city Fire Marshals office. "All these emergency responders get there, and the [residents] will just say, "We didn't call. We don't know anything about that.' Sometimes they laugh at us."

It is the city's policy to respond to all emergency calls, even at addresses where repeated fake calls have originated, authorities said.



19 cell phones used

At least 19 different cellular telephones have been used to make the calls, investigators said. On average, about 20 fake calls a day were made over a period of seven weeks. The calls continued, even though arrests were made and cell phones were seized from the home in January.

Merced, 49, and his attorney, Ayoka A. Tucker, denied the allegations late Friday during an interview at Tucker's law office. "Somebody is apparently making these calls, but it isn't this family," Tucker said. "They're wonderful people."

Martinez noted that investigators found a video camera set up to record people arriving at 78 15th. "They are keeping a log book of our times and responses," Martinez said.

He said the log book was seized by investigators during a court-authorized search of the home last month.

Investigators said they are trying to determine the motivation behind the fake calls. Tucker said the family is afraid of the police.

Santiago-Merced, 42, was charged with criminal facilitation on Thursday afternoon over several fake calls that reported a shooting at her address, police reported. She is accused of providing a cell phone to an unknown individual who made several false calls Thursday for help at 78 and 84 15th St.

Santiago-Merced was previously arrested on Jan. 15. In that case, she is charged with obstructing governmental administration, resisting arrest and endangering the welfare of a minor after she allegedly allowed some of her children - ranging in age from 5 to 17 - to repeatedly call 911 and make false reports, police said.

Juan Merced was charged that day with two counts of aggravated harassment, falsely reporting an incident and endangering the welfare of a child. He was also charged with escape after his wife allegedly opened the door of a police car to let him out.

But Tucker said she believes the Merced family may be the victims of someone else. "He and his family deny making any of these calls," she said. "These are cell phone calls. I haven't seen any tangible proof that these calls were made, or that they were made by this family."

Tucker said she believes that someone who dislikes the family may be making the fake calls in an effort to get the Merceds into trouble with the law.

Who would do that?

"We don't know," Tucker said.

Merced, who had eight of his children with him while visiting his lawyer on Friday, said the family has lived in the home less than a year. He said his wife home-schools their children, and he expressed pride in his children's behavior.

"Naturally, we are innocent," Merced said. "We have nothing to hide. I want to see the light of truth shining on this."


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; US: New York
KEYWORDS: emergency; police
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1 posted on 03/06/2006 5:17:40 PM PST by Macaw
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To: Macaw

Sounds like a set up.


2 posted on 03/06/2006 5:25:10 PM PST by CindyDawg
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To: Macaw

That TV camera sounds suspicious. Maybe it's Michael Moore, making a movie. Farenheit 911.


3 posted on 03/06/2006 5:26:46 PM PST by Cicero (Marcus Tullius)
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To: Macaw


How friggin bored to you have to be to call 911 1000X ?


4 posted on 03/06/2006 5:28:22 PM PST by SouthernFreebird
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To: Macaw

I read an article recently here at FR about "spoofing" phone numbers, to make someone else's number appear on caller Id.


5 posted on 03/06/2006 5:40:02 PM PST by Graybeard58 (Remember and pray for Sgt. Matt Maupin - MIA/POW- Iraq since 04/09/04)
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To: Macaw

Just arrest them the first time it happens, and it won't happen again. Of course, that would be filling the prisons...


6 posted on 03/06/2006 5:40:26 PM PST by Brilliant
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To: Macaw

That's a weird picture


7 posted on 03/06/2006 5:47:05 PM PST by nuconvert ([there's a lot of bad people in the pistachio business])
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To: Macaw

That's a weird picture


8 posted on 03/06/2006 5:47:08 PM PST by nuconvert ([there's a lot of bad people in the pistachio business])
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To: Macaw

Let them all take a lie detecter test. . .THAT said. . .there surely must be a way for them to know what is legit and what is not. . .'surely'. . .


9 posted on 03/06/2006 5:49:00 PM PST by cricket (Truth - the first enemy of a Liberal. . .)
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To: nuconvert

It sure is. They are all sitting in their chairs. Not one on the floor. None fighting. No climbing on chairs. Kids just sitting quietly. Weird:')


10 posted on 03/06/2006 5:51:32 PM PST by CindyDawg
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To: nuconvert

What do you want to bet that the two in the chair, sitting behind him are pinching each other? :')


11 posted on 03/06/2006 5:52:55 PM PST by CindyDawg
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To: CindyDawg

Lol.
Actually, I meant they all look like they have blue eyes or eye makeup or something. And the reds are very red.


12 posted on 03/06/2006 5:56:59 PM PST by nuconvert ([there's a lot of bad people in the pistachio business])
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To: nuconvert

Puffy eyes? There were 5 of us. Some say it's easy to hide in numbers. Not around my house. We all got spanked. The theory was that if you didn't do it them just apply it to something else you had done and not got caught about .


13 posted on 03/06/2006 6:02:25 PM PST by CindyDawg
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To: SouthernFreebird

How many fake calls to 911 do you tolerate before submitting the tapes to voice analysis to narrow down the suspects?


14 posted on 03/06/2006 6:08:08 PM PST by hinckley buzzard
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To: CindyDawg
Sounds like a set up.

I agree, but what kind? Finger in chili, or bigot engineered frameup?

15 posted on 03/06/2006 6:08:35 PM PST by Navy Patriot
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To: Macaw

Munchausen by proxy and Boredom by 911.


16 posted on 03/06/2006 6:10:29 PM PST by Yaelle
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To: nuconvert

They look like space aliens


17 posted on 03/06/2006 6:10:56 PM PST by dennisw (Muslim's biggest enemy is the founder of Islam, Muhammad. Muslims are victims of this conman-)
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To: Macaw

I cannot believe they let it go on for 1000 times.

It's illegal to file a false report. They could have done something sooner - believe me.


18 posted on 03/06/2006 6:12:11 PM PST by CyberAnt (Democrats/Old Media: "controversy, crap and confusion" -- Amen!)
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To: dennisw

Looks like baby Star Trekers to me.


19 posted on 03/06/2006 6:12:35 PM PST by CindyDawg
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To: Macaw

Someone needs to scour Myspace, Buzz-Oven, Blogspot, Xanga, Friendster, and Facebook to find the web site where they are uploading the videos.


20 posted on 03/06/2006 6:15:04 PM PST by FreedomCalls (It's the "Statue of Liberty," not the "Statue of Security.")
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