ST. LOUIS • A ӣƵ woman was convicted on a misdemeanor charge of misusing 911 after calling the emergency number 27 times in less than 12 hours to complain about drugs and other suspicious activity in her neighborhood, prosecutors said Wednesday.
Nancy Gates, 58, called to report drug activity, suspicious cars and suspicious people on April 3, 2012, but was “not very specific” about what she saw, said Philippa Barrett, chief misdemeanor officer with the ӣƵ Circuit Attorney's office. When asked for details, Gates told emergency operators, "I didn't see anybody," and "I don't want to talk to police," Barrett said.
At times, the calls came 30 seconds apart. Sometimes, Gates would simply say, “Drugs,” and “4400 Strodtman,” referring to a block near her house in the College Hill neighborhood in ӣƵ.
Police came, but found nothing, Barrett said.
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“911 is for emergency calls and none of these were for an emergency,” Barrett said.
Gates could not be reached for comment. Her public defenders declined to comment on the case. Barrett said that Gates told jurors that she was doing what she felt she needed to do to protect her neighborhood.
A ӣƵ jury convicted Gates of the misdemeanor charge Tuesday, and Circuit Judge Elizabeth Hogan sentenced her to a year of probation. She was also ordered to work with her neighborhood stabilization team.
