Fla. Man Charged After Dialing 911 More Than 900 Times

local6.com ^

[chance33_98]

Fla. Man Charged After Dialing 911 More Than 900 Times

POSTED: 7:20 a.m. EDT July 2, 2003 UPDATED: 7:32 a.m. EDT July 2, 2003

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- A 22-year-old man was charged with misusing the 911 system after dialing the emergency number more than 900 times since May, taxing dispatchers and police.

Howard V. Hill Jr. was arrested Monday and released from the Palm Beach County Jail on his own recognizance. Unlawful use of the 911 system is a first-degree misdemeanor.

During many of the calls, Hill claimed an officer had been shot, indicated he wanted to shoot an officer with a bow and arrow or made animal sounds into the phone, according to his arrest report.

Police said 200 calls were made to 911 from Hill's cellular phone on June 23.

"He's been very persistent," said West Palm Beach police spokeswoman Dena Kimberlin, adding that each call had to be investigated.

"Whenever someone calls 911, the dispatchers are trained to respond to emergencies and 911 is strictly for that," she said. "When someone abuses that line they could conceivably kill someone by taking the time away that dispatchers could use to give instructions for CPR or give information to road patrol units."

When questioned about the excessive phone calls, Hill told police that his friend "Jimmy" was the one making the calls and that he would make sure the calls would stop, according to police reports.

But the calls didn't stop, and Hill later identified "Jimmy" as his pet bird.

"He's the only one that I have heard of who has abused the system to this extent," Kimberlin said.

[Puppage]

THIS IS 9-1.......2

[Bigg Red]

..more than 900 times since May..

I wonder if this punk has a job. Lordy, 22, not 12??!!

[Seeking the truth]

Any bets this idiot is a democrat?

Any bets he probably votes as many times as he can?

God, I can't wait to move out of this crazy Palm Beach County!

[Xenalyte]

Sounds like this dude seriously needs a hobby.

[dawn53]

We had a guy in our neighborhood who was obsessed with his health and worried about having a heart attack. He called 911 and told them he thought he was having a heart attack, just to see how long it would take them to arrive. Then he locked his front door, to test how long it would take them to "break into" his house to see what would happen if he really did have a heart attack and the door was locked.

Needless to say, he was in a "heap of trouble." He got arrested, had to pay all kinds of fines, community service and was put on probation.

[Cultural Jihad]

"He's the only one that I have heard of who has abused the system to this extent," Kimberlin said.

Welcome to the "me and my all-important pleasure first and foremost and to hell with anyone else" degenerative society, brought to us by the moral-liberals of the Democratic-Socialist-Libertarian axis. We will be seeing a lot more barbarian Howards in our future.

[MarkL]

Sounds like this dude seriously needs a hobby.

Sounds like he thinks he's already got one!

What this loser needs is a serious thump on the noggin... Xenalyte, I think that you're up to the job! One whack with the pommel of that sword of yours should do the trick!

Mark

[EggsAckley]

"I wonder if this punk has a job."

What's more, let's hope he hasn't procreated.

[ArGee]

"Whenever someone calls 911, the dispatchers are trained to respond to emergencies and 911 is strictly for that," she said. "When someone abuses that line they could conceivably kill someone by taking the time away that dispatchers could use to give instructions for CPR or give information to road patrol units."

This statement seriously disturbs me. I understand that there's expense involved in the emergency teams being dispatched, and I think the guy should have to offset that cost, but he didn't really hurt somebody with his calls - it was just potential. And I don't think we should punish someone for using the phone in the privacy of their own home if they aren't infringing on someone's rights. The minute somebody is harmed because an emergency team was unavailable due to this nut's crank calls, then nail him. But don't trump up a flimsy excuse like this.

Shalom.

[Cate]

I'm a 911 dispatcher and dipdoes like this do endanger everyone. I think they should let the families that had true crisises during this time set his punishment. If the dispatchers were allowed to punish him, it would definitely be under the cruel and unusual punishment section.

[Cultural Jihad]

(Sarcastically) ... Just as drunk drivers should be allowed to weave through traffic as long as they don't harm anyone, or speeders should be free to barrel down the public roads at will just so long as they don't actually crash and burn. Or a counterfeiter should be free to print money in the privacy of his basement, or a terrorist should be allowed to mix and pack explosive chemicals in his hallowed closed-door garage.

[ArGee]

I see you get my drift.

Shalom.

[stainlessbanner]

That's about 15 calls per day!

[Cate]

How would you feel if you were put on hold by a 911 operator to allow them to talk to this nutcase? What if your spouse was having a heart attack and the medical unit that was supposed to respond to your house was unavailable due to it being sent to the address this nutcase gave? Or what about a car crash that had injuries? And the car was on fire? Someone who needs mental help is just as capable as a sane person to commit a crime. What this nutcase did was a crime and should be punished. Plus the fact that the officers are well liked by the all the dispatchers and the call coming in that an officer was shot is horrible.

[zip]

he didn't really hurt somebody with his calls - it was just potential.

If you or a member of your family was dying and 911 was "busy", would you feel the same way? There are many reports in urban areas of 911 lines tied up with non emergency calls causing delays in response times. It isn't a minor prank, it IS potentially a cause of death. I would call that "hurting somebody".

[Cate]

Ok, you're off my nerve, I see now that you were being facetious .... I'll stand down and have another cup of coffee. :)

[boris]

"During many of the calls, Hill claimed an officer had been shot, indicated he wanted to shoot an officer with a bow and arrow or made animal sounds into the phone, according to his arrest report."

A big day for bow-and-arrow versus cop stories today...

[ArGee]

What this nutcase did was a crime and should be punished.

Now let me get this straight. You're going to punish a man who was engaging in an action in the privacy of his own home that didn't hurt someone else because of a hypothetical result of his actions rather than because of the actual result?

Whatever happened to the right to privacy?

Shalom.