Kerrville police last weekend arrested a 53-year-old woman who authorities say repeatedly calls 911 when she's intoxicated to report incidents that aren't emergencies.

Elsa Benson was arrested without incident around 8 p.m. last Friday, when two officers arrived at her home in the 300 block of Blanks Street. She faces one count of silent abusive calls to 911 and was held on a $1,000 bond. This is the second time Benson has been arrested in connection with silent abusive calls to 911.

Police said she called 911 twice the evening of Dec. 18 - she hung up once, and the second time, a dispatcher heard her screaming in the background.

Arriving officers noted she smelled strongly of alcohol, said Kerrville Police Department spokesman Paul Gonzales, and she was yelling incomprehensively.

"While attempting to understand what she was talking about, she advised the reason she'd called 911 is because her husband would not eat his supper," he said.

Officers have referred Benson to Texas Department of Family and Protective Services' Adult Protective Services. In the past six months, Benson has called 911 more than 30 times, Gonzales said. Her arrest record dates back to March 1994. Since then, she has been booked in jail three times for public intoxication, once for theft and once, in January 2008, for alleged silent abusive calls.

"We're hoping that with other agency interactions, and with her facing the court system, we can educate her in some form or fashion that she's not supposed to do this," Gonzales said. "It's not only tying up resources - it inhibits the officers and resources away from other situations that may be taking place - but it also gets frustrating when we have officers respond to find out there was nothing to it."

It was not immediately clear if Benson remains in jail Wednesday morning.

Gonzales said Benson, and anyone else needing police assistance on an incident that is not a life-threatening emergency, is asked to please call Kerrville Police Department's non-emergency line, (830) 257-8181.