JULY 22--A Pennsylvania man who called 911 to report that he was suffering from chest pains was not actually in distress, he just wanted responding paramedics to help fix his air conditioner, investigators allege.

While speaking with a police dispatcher Sunday afternoon, Travis Turner, 27, also claimed that he was having difficulty breathing, according to a criminal complaint accusing him of obstructing emergency services and disorderly conduct.

When a medic unit arrived at Turner’s apartment in Indiana, a town 60 miles east of Pittsburgh, he “related to them that he was fine and did not have any medical issues,” the complaint alleges. “However he was having issues with his air conditioning and asked if they could fix it.”

The paramedics then notified 911 of Turner’s bogus emergency call, and then departed for a “pending true medical emergency” at a Chinese restaurant.

According to the complaint, the 380-pound, 4’ 11” Turner has, over the past three years, made “false/misleading/non emergency calls” on more than 60 occasions.

Turner’s prior calls to 911 and the Pennsylvania State Police resulted in his arrest last December, though criminal charges were later withdrawn as part of a plea deal requiring him to cease making such calls and “submit to further welfare oversight and a mental health evaluation.”

Turner is scheduled for an August 24 preliminary hearing on the two misdemeanor charges. (2 pages)