911 phone SWATer found guilty

An 18-year-old blind prankster known as "Little Hacker" who fooled police into responding to bogus emergencies pled guilty in federal court in Dallas on Thursday.

Matthew Weigman, of Revere, Mass., admitted to "swatting" victims in Fort Worth and Alvarado, Texas.

"Swatting" is a scheme by telephone hackers in which they take over another person's telephone number, call 911 and falsify an emergency, fooling police into sending officers -- sometimes a SWAT team -- to a bogus call. Weigman has been in custody since the FBI arrested him in Boston in May 2008.

Weigman admitted that on June 12, 2006, he called police in Alvarado, saying he had shot and killed members of his family, was armed with an AK-47 and was holding hostages. He made the call appear to come from the house of an Alvarado resident. He made a similar call to Fort Worth police on Oct. 1, 2006. Nobody was injured in either hoax but police rushed to each call as if there was real danger.

Weigman also eavesdropped on people's telephone calls "for both pleasure and financial gain" and hacked into phone company computers, turning phone accounts off and on at will. In his guilty plea, Weigman also admitted to retaliating against a New Hampshire fraud investigator for Verizon who was working with the FBI on the investigation. Weigman and two other men drove to the investigator's house "to intimidate and frighten him," prosecutors said.

Weigman faces up to 13 years in prison. Charges are still pending against two co-defendants also charged in the case, Sean Benton of Malden, Massachusetts, and Carlton Nalley, of Alexandria, Virginia. (info from MSNBC)

Phony 911 call didn't divert cops from fugitive

A passenger in a car that was being chased by sheriff's deputies in King County, Washington tried a novel approach in an attempt to get the cops off their tail. She called 911 to report a bogus robbery at a nearby convenience store, thinking it would divert the cops.

It didn't work. The driver and his passenger were eventually caught and booked into the King County Jail.

The incident occurred on Monday morning when a sheriff's deputy pulled over a pickup truck for a possible DUI violation. As the deputy walked up to the pickup it took off. The deputy chased it for more than eight minutes, reaching speeds of 70 mph.

During the chase, the passenger used her cellphone to report an armed robbery at the Circle K. The call dispatcher was not fooled, and the chase continued.

As the driver of the truck turned, he lost control of the truck and hit a power pole. The driver and passenger suffered minor injuries and were taken into custody.

The driver was booked for investigation of felony flight. Once at the jail he was identified from his fingerprints as a state Department of Corrections escapee and booked on that warrant as well. The woman was booked on charges of false reporting and rendering criminal assistance. (info from The Seattle Times)

Burglar called 911 to get arrested to see brother in jail

A man broke into a gas station in Capac, Michigan early Tuesday. He smoked a few cigarettes, drank some alcohol and then called 911 about 4:30 a.m.

The man told officials at St. Clair County Central Dispatch he had broken into the gas station about 20 minutes earlier. He said he wanted to be taken to jail to spend time with his incarcerated brother.

Shortly after the man made the call, deputies granted his wish by arresting him and taking him to the county jail in Port Huron Township.

A manager at the gas station said someone got into the store by breaking a window. (info from The Times Herald)

Cops find pot plants after 911 call

Sheriff's deputies found 80 marijuana plants in a Vero Beach, Florida house while responding to a 911 call there.

Dispatchers told Indian River County sheriff's deputies that neighbors had called to report a woman knocking on their doors at about 1:30 a.m. in early January. The woman was telling her neighbors that her husband was trying to kill her.

Deputies arrived and found the woman, Nancy Maria Mena Garcia, unharmed inside a residence. Officers also saw a lot of pot and called the Multi-Agency Criminal Enforcement Unit, who obtained a search warrant. (info from MSNBC)

Sad, not wacky. Woman shot dead while talking to 911

Kathy Bryant was reporting a disturbance to a 911 operator in Columbus, Ohio when she was shot to death on her apartment building's front step on January 18. "While she was still on the phone with the 911 operator, shots were fired, which could be heard during the 911 call," homicide detective Pat Dorn said.

Bryant lived alone at the north end of the building near the entrance. Bullet casings were found in the parking lot about 20 yards from the door. Neighbors said they heard four or five shots.
"Five to 10 minutes later, the police were showing up," said Joseph James. Gail Cheeseman, who lives on the third floor of the building, went out into the hall when she heard the shots. She looked out a window and saw Bryant lying face-down on the concrete near the building door.

The neighborhood has several apartment complexes and it's an area where police are sent frequently. (info from Columbus Dispatch)

Baby called 911 and father was busted for pot

An 11-month-old toddler in his pajamas was playing with a phone and a ball when police, responding to a suddenly aborted 911 call, burst through the front door of his home in a Vancouver, Canada suburb.

The police found a quiet domestic scene. The boy's father was with the toddler in a bedroom, watching television. There was no emergency. But once the police were inside the house, they picked up a distinctive odor and quickly discovered an indoor farm with 500 marijuana plants.

Police arrested the father for production of a controlled substance, but he has not yet been formally charged. Constable Janelle Canning said police did not have any indication prior to their arrival that they would find a marijuana growing operation. "We were going simply for a 911 hang-up," she said.

The father was startled to see the police standing in his bedroom. "He said to us, 'I did not call the police, why would I call the police?' " Constable Canning said. "We said, 'Well, here we are. We got a phone call.' "

The police suggested the baby may have called, but the father insisted that would be impossible because the boy didn't know how to use the phone. "And a minute later, the baby is playing with the cordless phone and pushing all the buttons. So, he had inadvertently called us," Constable Canning said.

The marijuana plants were behind a locked door and the baby had no access to the area. Nevertheless, police called child-welfare officials, who took the child and placed him with his mother, who was separated from the father.

The mother told police she had no idea that marijuana plants were being grown in the home. She had dropped off the boy at his father's place earlier that morning on her way to work. (info from The Globe & Mail)

911 call liar convicted of murder

The former owner of a dart shop in Anaheim, California has been convicted of second-degree murder, despite his claims that he acted in self defense. The Superior Court jury on Tuesday found Robert Desylvia guilty of shooting Cecil Atkins outside his shop on April 14, 2007.

Defense attorney Joe Dane had argued his client and Atkins had been drinking and got into an argument. Desylvia called 911 and initially told investigators that Atkins broke into his shop, but a videotape shows both men walking into the store.

Desylvia faces 40 years to life in prison. Dane says he will appeal. (info from San Jose Mercury News)

Emergency caller claims mistreatment by 911 staff

A man whose family was facing a medical emergency in Chester, California says they were mistreated by 911 dispatchers. Robert St. Clair says dispatchers transferred his calls to an automated message while his father, Guy St. Clair, was unconscious on the floor.

Guy St. Clair fell backwards and hit his head on the corner of a pool table. Robert St. Clair called 911 from the house phone line but couldn't hear anything from the 911 staff.

Plumas County Sheriff's deputies say the call registered at their dispatch center in Quincy and a deputy was there within a few minutes.

But, Robert St. Clair did not know that so he called 911 again from his cellphone. Cellphone calls in the area go to the California Highway Patrol dispatch center in Susanville.

St. Clair says the dispatcher he spoke with didn't tell him that help was on the way and even transfered him to an automated message designated for non-emergency calls. Frustrated, St. Clair called back at least four times and every time he was switched to the automated message.

All this took place over a time period of about five to ten minutes. An ambulance arrived within that time period. By that time, Guy St. Clair had regained consciousness. He has fully recovered. (info from KHSL TV)

Accidental 911 call led to drug arrest

A 911 call was made from a home on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina on January 2, but no one spoke when a dispatcher answered.

When a deputy arrived at the house, a woman whom he had previously arrested met him at the door and tried to keep him in the front yard, saying there were no problems at the house. The deputy smelled marijuana and asked to search the house.

The two men inside the house also tried to keep the deputy in the front yard, but eventually let him in. The deputy found a bag of marijuana in the hall. The woman walked with the officer during the search and said, "Whatever you find, it isn't mine."

The deputy also found crack cocaine. All three were charged with possession of crack cocaine and possession of marijuana. (info from IslandPacket.com)

911 prankster calls in fake hostage situation

(text removed to preserve privacy of a family involved)

Teen with knife called 911 and was shot by cop

Police in Bloomington, Indiana said Friday that the 16-year-old who was shot by police made the 911 call that led police to him. His cellphone number is the same as the number recorded by the 911 system when the call was placed,

The 16-year-old called 911 and said that a man was "threatening to kill the police" at the Bloomington Transit bus terminal. He described the person as "a black guy with an army outfit on" and said the man was yelling at random people and pulled out a knife.

Officer John Coleman was the first to arrive on the scene. Coleman spotted the suspect standing with his hands in his pockets. Coleman then commanded the suspect to remove his hands from his pockets.

Officer George Connolly arrived on the scene, and when he was several feet behind the suspect, the teen revealed a knife in his right hand wrapped in a “kind of plastic material,” which the suspect started to shake off.

The suspect then charged at Coleman, who fired his weapon twice when the boy was within five feet of him. Paramedic crews arrived on the scene after officers immediately called 911. The boy underwent surgeries for two shots in his chest and abdomen. The injuries were reportedly not life threatening. Police refused to confirm the identity of the boy who was shot because he is a minor.

Police said they interviewed eight witnesses who confirmed the story and recovered two shell casings and the knife, which apparently belonged to the suspect. (info from IDSNEWS.com)

Nice, not wacky: 911 operator helps deliver baby via phone

On Sunday morning, Jessica Portugal's mother called 911 in Tucson, Arizona, and said that her daughter, Jessica, had gone into labor.

911 dispatcher Lani Dzicek received the call. A mother of three herself, Dzicek was prepared for the baby that just wouldn't wait, with a set of instruction cards. "We just go from step to step, and depending on how they answer, the instructions let us know where we have to go next."

"From the time the call was sent to the time the baby was born, it was like three minutes," says Dzicek.

When the paramedic's arrived, the baby was already born. The dispatcher-turned-doctor says that when the baby was born, all the other dispatchers let out a loud cheer. "Everyone was excited and saying congratulations to me, like I had the baby."

"There's a lot of tragedy that goes through this room and it's really nice when you get one of those feel-good calls. And this was a feel-good call," says Dzicek. Mommy and baby Joshua are fine. (info from KVOA) (photo shows a different baby)

Man tried to kill wife, then called 911

A Clarksville, Tennesse man is in jail and accused of trying to kill his wife. Investigators say Timothy Atnip shot his wife Von on Saturday night, then called 911 to report it.

When officers arrived they found Von Atnip lying on the floor bleeding. She is now in critical condition at a hospital. Timothy Atnip is charged with attempted homicide and is being held without bond. (info & photo from WTVF)

Teen died because of delayed 911 response

The death of an 18-year-old British Columbia man who called 911 from his cellphone while lost in the woods on New Year's Day is the latest in a string of incidents that highlight serious problems plaguing Canada's 911 system.

Matt Armstrong's body was found about 10 hours after Mounties received a 911 call from him on Jan. 1. The high-school student had told a dispatcher he couldn't find his way out of the dense forests south of Williams Lake.

A newspaper investigation recently found that last year alone, there were at least four fatal or near-fatal incidents in Canada involving cellphone or Internet callers who had trouble getting help after dialling 911. The probe discovered that a lack of federal oversight, regulatory loopholes and outdated technology have left Canada's emergency dispatchers scrambling to find callers who place 911 calls from a cellphone or Internet phone.

Armstrong's friends and family are adamant he'd still be alive if Canada had technology that allows emergency workers to quickly pinpoint the location of a caller using a cellphone or Internet phone. The service is already available in the United States and Europe.

“This didn't have to happen,” Deidre Cahoose, Armstrong's girlfriend, said during a tearful interview. She was the last person to see him alive. The young couple, who lived together, had left a house party on the south edge of Williams Lake around 3:40 a.m. They parted after getting into a fight. Deidre said she called his cellphone and that he told her he was walking home and would be there soon. The last time they spoke was at 4:30 a.m.

At 5:06 a.m., police received Armstrong's frantic call that he had become lost in the forest. Police quickly began to piece together his final moments and by 6:30 a.m., they were at Deidre's home looking for clues. They also interviewed people who attended the house party in an attempt to figure out where Armstrong could have gone.

According to police, officers tried several times to make contact by phone with Armstrong but calls went unanswered. A helicopter and dog unit were eventually called in, and around 3 p.m., searchers found his body.

An official cause of death hasn't been released, but it is believed Armstrong died of hypothermia.

Charlie Sinclair, Armstrong's great-uncle, said that money shouldn't be an issue when it comes to upgrading Canada's telephone emergency system if lives are at risk. Adding the ability to locate cellphone callers if the person on the line can't speak or identify a location would cost an estimated $50 million. There are now nearly 21 million wireless subscribers in Canada. More than half of all 911 calls placed each year are made on cellphones. (info from Toronto Globe & Mail)

Elderly woman held robber at gunpointduring 911 call

Sunday night, a 70-year-old woman in South Bend, Indiana stopped an intruder in his tracks, holding him at gunpoint until police arrived. The woman called 911 about 9 p.m. sounding frantic, but prepared.

“I’ve got my gun out. Somebody’s trying to get in my house,” she told a dispatcher. “I’ll have to shoot him if he comes in.”

“What kind of weapon do you have?" asked the dispatcher. “I have a .38," the homeowner responded.

Minutes later, the intruder was inside, breaking through a window, but was stopped by the homeowner.

“I don’t want to have to kill anybody, but I will,” she said.

“She felt threatened by a man entering her home illegally by breaking the window and she was going to protect herself,” St. Joseph County Police Sgt. Bill Redman said.

After holding her intruder at gunpoint for almost five minutes, police arrived and arrested Cyrus Brown on preliminary charges of burglary, resisting arrest, and intimidation.

But Brown told police and the homeowner he was just looking for help. Police said he crashed his car near this woman's home because he said he was being chased by gang members trying to kill him. Authorities took Brown to the hospital for a broken leg before being booked into jail. Police are still looking into the story. (info from WSB TV)

Cop fired five bullets in wrong house after 911 call

A deputy in Scott County, Minnesota, responding to a 911 call of a domestic dispute, burst into a house and, when the occupants yelled that they had a gun, fired several shots. The house, however, was the wrong house.

The call had come from a second small building on the property. No one was injured in the shooting.

"My impression is they thought that somebody was breaking into their house," Scott County Sheriff Kevin Studnicka said. "They didn't realize it was a deputy."

Studnicka said the deputy was sent to the address to respond to the disturbance call. A knock on the door of the house went unanswered, so he forced his way. Two men living in the house announced they had a gun, and the deputy fired.

The deputy then left the house, and the residents called 911 to report a break-in.

A patrol sergeant en route to the address realized the miscommunication and spoke to the two men living in the house when he arrived. The men in the house did not know that people in the other building behind their house had called 911.

Joe Toivola said Monday that his ex-girlfriend, who had been staying with him in the small house, had called 911 to report a domestic dispute. But instead of responding to that residence, the deputy went to the house in front of it.

Toivola's roommate, Justin Ashton, said he noticed that the deputy had gone to the house and tried, unsuccessfully, to wave him toward the other residence. Toivola said it was at least half an hour later before anyone from the Sheriff's Office came to the right home.

Toivola said he saw five bullet holes in the walls of the house, including three going up the stairs, when he visited the men Monday. "They went through hell up there," Toivola said. "I would have felt really bad if something bad had happened to them."

The deputy, whose name Studnicka would not release, is on paid administrative leave pending the results of an investigation by the Dakota County Sheriff's Office. Studnicka declined to speculate on why the deputy fired but said it seemed logical that he would go to the house, not the outbuilding, when called to the address.

"I don't know exactly what it is that he saw," Studnicka said. "If he felt that at some point in time he may be in a dangerous situation, he's going to draw his weapon."

Neither Toivola nor his girlfriend were arrested in connection with the domestic dispute call.

The incident comes just weeks after the city of Minneapolis agreed to a settlement of more than $600,000 for a raid on the wrong residence in 2007. In that instance, the SWAT team, acting on wrong information, exchanged fire with Vang Khan in his north Minneapolis home. Khan thought the officers were criminal intruders.

Toivola said he saw five bullet holes in the walls of the house, including three going up the stairs, when he visited the men Monday.

"They went through hell up there," Toivola said. "I would have felt really bad if something bad had happened to them."

Neither Friedges nor the occupants of the house could be reached for comment Monday.

The deputy, whose name Studnicka would not release, is on paid administrative leave pending the results of an investigation by the Dakota County Sheriff's Office.

Studnicka declined to speculate on why the deputy fired but said it seemed logical that he would go to the house, not the outbuilding, when called to the address.

"I don't know exactly what it is that he saw," Studnicka said. "If he felt that at some point in time he may be in a dangerous situation, he's going to draw his weapon."

Neither Toivola nor his girlfriend were arrested in connection with the domestic dispute call.

The incident comes just weeks after the city of Minneapolis agreed to a settlement of more than $600,000 for a raid on the wrong residence in 2007. In that instance, the SWAT team, acting on wrong information, exchanged fire with Vang Khan in his north Minneapolis home. Khan thought the officers were criminal intruders. (info from Minneapolis Star-Tribune)

Man called 911 to confess to murder

Sheriff's officers arrested a man in Rancho Cordova, California who called 911 Sunday to report he'd killed someone inside a mobile home.

Officers arrived at the mobile home park around 11:30 a.m. Sunday to find the suspect and victim, Sacramento County sheriff's Capt. Scott Jones said. Victim Darrel Cadinha was pronounced dead from a single gunshot wound to the head. "The (911) caller stated he had just shot somebody," Jones said.

Jones said the suspect, identified as Kenneth Mulligan, surrendered to officers without incident. The suspected murder weapon was found by officers. The circumstances surrounding the shooting were under investigation. (info from News10.net)