Parker County woman reporting intruder calls 911, receives no answer

The Dallas Morning News ^ | March 6, 2009 | CHRIS HAWES

[Texican72]

PARKER COUNTY – As an intruder roamed around her home, a woman repeatedly dialed 911 and received no answer.

Laverne Hokett woke up one February night to the sound of someone breaking down her back door.

"It's a thousand wonders I haven't had a heart attack," she said with tears welling up in her eyes. "I was so afraid."

After dialing 911 several times with no answer, Hokett called her daughter, Deborah Turpin, who lives nearby. Hokett then tried 911 again as the man inside her home screamed.

As Turpin and her husband headed to her mother's home, Hokett sat alone in her dark room and decided to call her neighbor.

"Well, he couldn't find the bullets to the gun," she said of her neighbor.

[Texican72]

When seconds are needed...

[GeronL]

lets put them in charge of healthcare

[TNCMAXQ]

Sarah Brady thinks this scenario is just fine. Wait for the police to come, she says. Nice to live in that fantasy world.

[NonValueAdded]

... the police are minutes away

[NonValueAdded]

and I guess that should now be “hours away”

[Diogenesis]

Obama's Fault

[ConservativeMan55]

This is what you get when you depend on Government

[Hoosier Catholic Momma]

They were probably busy taking a call from a McDonald’s customer who couldn’t get McNuggets...

[<1/1,000,000th%]

Another ad for gun ownership.

Never heard about the delay with cell phones before.

[SIDENET]

Next time, just dial .357.

[Natural Law]

She should have dialed Remington 870.......

[MeganC]

When seconds count the police are only minutes away.

That's the old saying. But in this case they weren't there at all.

[ValerieTexas]

Spread the word: WE are our own first line of defense. Each individual’s safety is the responsibility of each individual, then of each other, then of local law enforcement. Be prepared!

[SIDENET]

Great minds think alike.

;-)

[dfwgator]

911 is a joke.

[jjones9853]

What a silly neighbor; I know exactly where the bullets are, they’re in the gun! I keep gas in my car too because I may need to use it.

[MeganC]

Deputies arrived 13 minutes later

Don't anyone ever tell me I don't need a gun.

[donna]

Morgan said cellphone calls can take up to 30 seconds to connect in the dispatch center.

I never thought about a delay. 30-seconds would seem like an hour under those circumstances.

[ArrogantBustard]

WE are our own first line of defense.

Yep ... if a crime is committed against you, or some natural disaster befalls you the "First Responder" is ...

YOU.

[stainlessbanner]

Any idea where this was? Aledo, the Annettas, W’ford, etc