Arkansas Police Accuse 13-Year-Old Boy Of Hoaxing, Harassing Dispatchers

June 29, 2004
A 13-year-old boy made 365 telephone calls to the city police department in May and June, officers say, harassing dispatchers and reporting fake emergencies.
HEBER SPRINGS, Ark. (AP) -- A 13-year-old boy made 365 telephone calls to the city police department in May and June, officers say, harassing dispatchers and reporting fake emergencies.

Police say they'll seek felony charges against the boy, who wasn't named because of his age.

The youngster used profanity and played music in many of the calls, police said.

Sgt. Chad Meli, a department investigator, said Monday that some of the calls lasted only a few seconds, when the caller talked with dispatchers and said ``annoying things.''

But other calls, reporting fake fires and phony medical emergencies, lasted several minutes, Meli said.

He said dispatchers eventually learned to recognize the caller's voice, and would only put emergency response crews on standby while an officer was sent to check out the purported emergency.

Police are reviewing hours of dispatch records to sort out how many charges the boy could face. Results of the investigation will be turned over to an attorney who prosecutes cases involving youths.

Investigators believe the boy reported emergencies near his home or the homes of friends so he could watch officers respond. The emergencies the caller reported were in the same three or four parts of town, Meli said.

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