Kid called 911 when parents took game from him

A 15-year-old boy told police in Buffalo Grove, Illinois that his parents had taken away his video game system and asked whether they were within their rights.

Police told him they were.

The teen called 911 but then hung up, said Cmdr. Steve Husak. Officers went to the house, and after hearing the story, told him that his parents have the authority to take away his Xbox as punishment.

He also was advised to listen to his parents. Husak did not know why the boy was being punished. (info from The Chicago Tribune)

Broke and horny, man called 911 for sex

A man in Tampa, Florida was arrested for repeatedly calling 911 looking for sex, and claimed that 911 was the only number he could dial after running out of cellphone minutes.

Joshua Basso made sexual comments to the 911 dispatcher and asked if he could go to her house. Investigators say she hung up, but he called back four more times.

He was arrested about 15 minutes later at his home and charged with making a false 911 call. Basso reportedly told officers that he didn't think he would get in trouble for calling 911. He is listed as unemployed with arrests for theft and other crimes dating back to 2001. (info from the New York Daily News)

Drug dealers busted after accidental 911 call

Two drug dealers in Yukon, Oklahoma were arrested after one of them accidentally called 911 from his cellphone during a drug deal.

During the call, the men were heard and recorded discussing their drug business. One said, "They can sell it. it's dope, but it's not good dope."

The men counted out illegally obtained pills, marijuana, and ecstasy whil the phone transmittted from inside one of the suspects' pockets for 30 minutes.

"Hello 911?" the dispatcher asked.

"How much of the 'X' do you want? 50....50%?" a suspect said.

Police tracked the call to a house and arrested Mark Clair and Shannon McAlister for drug possession with intent to distribute.

Klare Ly, Community Affairs Specialist with the Yukon Police Department said, "It's weird how we get our cases sometimes but we're happy to take drugs off the street." "I think you can file this under the stupid criminals file," she explained.

Officers estimate that the drugs recovered had a street value of about $20,000. In total, 514 pills in the form of illegally obtained prescription drugs and ecstacy pills; 70.5 grams of marijuana; and 2.2 grams of a white powdery substance were recovered from the drug bust. Both men are facing multiple felony charges including possession of a CDS; possession of a CDS with intent to distribute; conspiracy to commit a felony; and possession of marijuana. (info from KSBI TV)

Woman called 911 to say she was driving drunk

Mary Strey of Granton, Wisconsin was charged with operating a motor vehicle while under the influence, after she called 911 to report that she was driving drunk.

“Somebody’s really drunk driving down Granton Road”, the caller stated when a 911 dispatcher answered the phone.

The dispatcher asked if the caller was behind the drunk driver, to which the caller replied “No, I am them.”

The dispatcher asked, “Okay, so you’re calling to report you’re driving drunk?”

She replied, “Yes.” Later, she stated, "I was drinking all over, I'm sorry. I shouldn't be driving".

The dispatcher told Strey to pull her vehicle over, and she complied. She waited for a deputy to arrive with her hazard lights flashing. According to the police report, Strey failed field sobriety tests, and a preliminary breath test showed she had a blood alcohol content of .19, more than twice the legal limit to drive.

She was given a citation for operating a vehicle with a prohibited alcohol content of .10 or more. She’s due in court in December, facing charges of first offense operating under the influence. (info from WSAW TV)

Ohio 911 operator in troublefor sleeping on the job

A 911 dispatcher in Warren County, Ohio, has been accused of sleeping on the job and been placed on paid administrative leave.

County Administrator Dave Gully took Shawn Mason off the job last week. He was to remain on leave until a disciplinary hearing.

Mason has a history of sleeping when he's on the clock, according to county officials. He was written up for dozing two years ago, and then given a verbal warning in September.

The most recent incident happened this month when another employee took a medical call, put it in the system and waited for Mason to send for help. When the call wasn't dispatched, Gully said, the call taker went to Mason to find out what happened. Mason was sleeping.

This allegation comes as the Warren County call center is under intense scrutiny because of a call where Ryan Widmer reported that his wife, Sarah, might have drowned in their bathtub. The dispatcher in that case, Ron Kronenberger, was not asleep, as an earlier report suggested. But he appeared confused, at one point asking Widmer if he is Sarah's mom and later failing to tell Widmer how to perform CPR. Kronenberger was not disciplined.

An outside human resources firm is reviewing the what occurred on Aug. 11, 2008, the night when Widmer reported finding his wife unresponsive.

Because of the high-profile nature of the case - Widmer was convicted of murder, but later awarded a new trial because of juror misconduct - the Kronenberger call, and the most recent sleeping allegations, are getting a lot of attention. Frank Young, the former emergency management director, abruptly resigned after the initial sleeping report surfaced.

Questions arose about whether the sleeping incident was an isolated one when a supervisor reported having trouble keeping dispatchers awake at night. Commissioners, as a result, have since called for the county emergency operation center to be analyzed. (info from the Cincinnati Enquirer)

I need a break.

I began blogging on 5/7/06. I started writing one blog, and gradually built up to five blogs a day. I got out of bed at 3:30AM to start my daily writing.

I did it for fun, but lately it has seemed too much like work. I'm not sure that I am officially "burned-out," but I have definitely lost enthusiasm for the daily grind of blogging.

Since the blog obligation was only to myself, and I have no contract, it's an obligation I am free to suspend, cancel or modify at will. No one has a paid-up subscription for words they won't receive.

Therefore, after 2,715 posts, I have decided to take some time off. I need to finish writing a few books, and some essays, and maybe I'll even try poetry and songwriting. My to-do list includes many unread books and un-watched DVDs. I want to spend more time swimming, and walk my dog more often.

The break will last at least a few weeks, but might even be several months. J. D. Salinger has not published an original work since 1965, but I won't be away that long. Even if I don't come back full-time until the Fall, I might pop back in occasionally if I think there's something worth saying.

I am continuing to write BookMakingBlog, my blog about writing, editing and publishing.

CUL/mnm

Man jailed for calling 911 about lost keys

A man in Tampa, Florida called 911 eight times in one hour because he lost his keys. Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Debbie Carter says George Alvarez became upset with deputies because they could not help him find the keys.

Deputies arrested Alvarez just early Monday morning. He was booked into jail on charges of making a false 911 call and released from jail after posting $500 bail. (info from WFTS)