St. Pete Woman Arrested For Calling 911 Twice To Ask For Beer

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — A St. Petersburg woman's arrest this week for calling 911 because she wanted a beer is representative of epidemic abuse of Florida's 911 system, say public safety officials.

Jennifer Sue Sunday, (aka Jennifer Sue Roberts) 54, of St. Petersburg was arrested May 6 after calling 911 at 12:06 p.m. and again at 3:41 p.m., saying she had a medical emergency.

When paramedics arrived, she explained her emergency: She needed a beer.

According to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, Sunday most likely already consumed a few beers when she called 911. Deputies said she appeared intoxicated.

She was arrested for misuse of the 911 system.

Under Florida law, calling 911 with a non-emergency request could get the caller charged with a first-degree misdemeanor, which can carry a penalty of one year in jail or 12 months of probation and a $1,000 fine.

A person who abuses the 911 system four times or more can be charged with a third-degree felony, punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000.

According to the arrest report, Sunday has placed 28 calls to 911 since February, falsely claiming to have a medical emergency. She already has two previous arrests for falsely dialing 911 – in August 2014 and June 2016.

Emergency procedures dictated, however, that 911 operators send paramedics to Sunday’s home because she stated she had a medical emergency.

Public safety officials say this scenario is becoming all too common, putting pressure on 911 resources that are already stressed.

In February, James Fogarty, director of safety and emergency services for Pinellas County, told Pinellas County commissioners that the number of calls to the county’s regional 911 center is exceeding the county’s population growth.

According to Fogarty, the 911 center receives about 1.2 million calls each year with requests for fire rescue, paramedics, sheriff’s deputies and police from the Pinellas County cities that contract with the county for 911 services. The Pinellas communications center serves 17 law enforcement and emergency services organizations.

In 2016-17, there were an average of 633 calls a day for EMS services, according to Fogarty. Those numbers have risen since, he said.

While many of the calls are genuine emergencies, he said many people dial 911 simply because they don’t know who else to call. The majority of non-emergency calls, he said, are from people who are simply sick.

Emergency operators are trained to prioritize calls. However, there are times when the operator is not able to adequately access the caller’s condition and must dispatch emergency services.

Florida 911 operators, in particular, have become skilled at dealing with a variety of bizarre 911 calls. Here are some examples from various online news reports:

* In February 2017, a 28-year-old Daytona Beach man reportedly called 911 six times in a five-hour period because he was bored.

* In 2015, a 45-year-old Lake County woman reportedly called 911 for chicken wings and cigarettes.

* Also in 2015, a 36-year-old woman called 911 in Fort Myers to complain that her pot dealer cheated her.

* A 44-year-old Fruitland Park man was arrested when he called 911 to brag about his big muscles and to hit on the 911 operator.

* In December, a 51-year-old Stuart man was arrested when he called 911 to complain about the size of the meal served to him at Crabby’s Seafood Shack.

* An obviously drunk St. John’s County man called 911 because he needed a ride to the liquor store (video attached).

* Another man called 911 from the side of Interstate 4 to complain that the Florida Highway Patrol had pulled him over and was attempting to arrest him.

* In 2014, a Florida couple called 911 because their cat was acting vicious and trapped them in their bedroom.

* This past New Year’s Eve, a Winter Haven man called 911 from his car to report that he was driving drunk. In that case, the operator kept the man on the phone until a Polk County Sheriff’s deputy arrived.

* In 2009, an Orlando woman called 911 to order Chinese food (listen to the call below).

Video via Youtube

Image via Pinellas Sheriff