TRAVERSE CITY — Two people face a criminal charge after police said they abused 911 emergency dispatch services.
Betty Ann St. Clair, of Garfield Township, and Jeremy Paul Bass, of East Bay Township, both are charged with using 911 for an unauthorized purpose, a misdemeanor. Bass also faces a misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge.
St. Clair, 64, called 911 April 1 to report a slip and fall, reports indicate. She told a sheriff's deputy who responded that she wanted to evict her roommate, and the deputy told her she'd have to pursue that through the court system.
St. Clair called 911 a short time later to again report that she wanted to evict her roommate. Another deputy who responded told her to contact the courts and not call 911 again, reports indicate. Police arrested her when she called 911 a third time about her roommate issue.
Bass, 30, called 911 several times on April 5 to report that he had been "ripped off" by a cab driver. He was "belligerent" and argumentative with a deputy who tried to give him a ride home, police said, and called 911 again after the deputy left.
Both Bass and St. Clair appeared intoxicated, reports indicate.
Area 911 dispatchers regularly receive unusual calls. Reports show a Leelanau County woman called 911 last month to ask sheriff's deputies to watch her house because "something bad always happens to her" every March 14. Other callers have reported sea serpents or aliens.
Authorities generally reserve criminal charges for people who continue to call 911 for non-emergency reasons after specifically being told not to, Grand Traverse County Prosecutor Al Schneider said. Alcohol often is a factor.
"It's generally been people who are intoxicated and are looking for someone to commiserate with," Schneider said.
It's not a good idea to waste a dispatcher's time, authorities said, especially because plenty of 911 callers are in need of emergency assistance.
"Those dispatchers are very busy; they handle a lot of calls every day," Grand Traverse Undersheriff Nathan Alger said. "The attention of those dispatchers needs to be dedicated to callers with real emergencies."
People often call 911 with various requests that could be handled through non-emergency numbers, Alger said, and that shouldn't happen.
"There are other ways to get a hold of law enforcement," Alger said. "You don't have to call 911 to get your public service."
Region
Two charged with abusing 911 services
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