900 calls to 9-1-1

Maybe he was trying to call 9-1-1 a total of 911 times, but a Florida man will likely be calling an attorney following his arrest this week.

Howard Hill (Sun-Sentinel)

Police in West Palm Beach accuse 22-year-old Howard Hill of making more than 900 phone calls to its emergency 9-1-1 system since May and are charging him with a first-degree misdemeanor.

On one day alone, June 23, Hill allegedly made 200 calls to 9-1-1 from his cell phone.

“He’s been very persistent,” police spokeswoman Dena Kimberlin told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

“Whenever someone calls 9-1-1, the dispatchers are trained to respond to emergencies, and 9-1-1 is strictly for that,” she told the paper. “When someone abuses that line they could conceivably kill someone by taking the time away that dispatchers could use to give instructions for CPR or give information to road patrol units.”

According to his arrest report, Hill – who sometimes referred to himself as “Black Ninja” – once claimed that an officer had been shot, but police found no evidence of a shooting when they arrived at the scene.

“That’s a very serious statement for someone to make,” Kimberlin told the Sentinel. “Whenever you hear that an officer is down, the adrenaline shoots up.”

Police say Hill also seemed surprised on one occasion when a dispatcher recognized his voice. He reportedly began making animal sounds before hanging up.

When authorities confronted him about the numerous calls, Hill reportedly blamed it on his friend “Jimmy” and assured police he’d make sure the calls stopped. But police say the calls continued, and Hill occasionally identified “Jimmy” as his pet bird.

“He’s the only one that I have heard of who has abused the system to this extent,” Kimberlin said.

Hill is now out of the Palm Beach County Jail on his own recognizance. No word on his cell phone.