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Andrew Adams, KSL Newsradio Repeated calls to 9-1-1 put a West Valley man in jail, and you wouldn't believe how awkward these calls were. He called 9-1-1 eleven times, and each call lasted around 30 minutes. It was all over a toothache!
Man: "It's tooth number 12."
The guy told dispatchers he didn't want an ambulance, and then he just kept talking.
Man: "We are in the wrong."
9-1-1 Dispatcher: "Who's in the wrong?"
Man: "Our society is in the wrong."
He didn't stop after three, six, or nine calls. Just how many calls did he make?
Captain Tom McLachlan: "Eleven."
McLachlan says the last call came after officers cited him. It was that last call that finally landed the guy behind bars.
9-1-1 Dispatcher: "Just like you can hear when a person has a smile on their face you can here when they have frustration."
He says dispatchers have to play nice, even when it's five hours after the first call. Officials say up to 30 percent of calls to 9-1-1 are not emergencies.
The man said he had set a dentist's appointment but kept calling. Police found the man in his house, drunk, and told him to stop calling. He called again, and was arrested.
