A former 911 operator has been sentenced to probation and 18 months of community service for frequently hanging up on emergency calls.
An investigation, obtained by ABC 13, found that 44-year-old Crenshanda Williams hung up on thousands of people calling 911 between October 2015 and March 2016.
Assistant District Attorney Lauren Reeder said in a statement, “The citizens of Harris County rely on 911 operators to dispatch help in their time of need. When a public servant betrays the community’s trust and breaks the law, we have a responsibility to hold them criminally accountable.”
In one case, emergency caller Jim Moten called 911 in 2016 to report two vehicles speeding down a busy highway. Court documents reveal Williams took the call, but seconds in she reportedly stated, “Ain’t nobody got time for this. For real.”
Charging documents noted Williams had an unusual amount of “short calls”, many of which were no more than 20 seconds long. Williams’ attorney, Franklin Bynum, thinks his client should not be punished, arguing that she “was going through a hard time in her life” and “punishing her doesn’t do anything to fix the problems that still exist at the emergency center.”
Williams was found guilty of interference with emergency telephone calls and is also expected to attend a decision-making class and write a letter of apology.
