911 emergency cell phone call

Lowville, NY -- The officer who arrested a mother and her boyfriend after her 2-year-old daughter called 911 more than a dozen times last month said they told him they just couldn't keep their phones away from the girl.

Lowville Village Police Officer Matthew Martin said he went to Heaven Britton's apartment at 5497 Water St., Apt. 3, Lowville, on Wednesday after the Lewis County 911 Dispatch Center said a child had called 14 times throughout the month of January. At no point was there an emergency. The 911 call-takers, at times, had put other callers on hold to answer the toddler's calls, Martin said.

Martin said he told Britton and Jason R. Hatcher the calls to 911 needed to stop, or else they would face charges.

Britton told the officer that she and Hatcher had new cell phones, which they had locked. But the phones had an ICE (In Case of Emergency) button at the bottom, which they were unable to get rid of, Martin said of the couple's explanation. When the child pushed the emergency button, it gave her the option to press send, the officer explained. When the girl pressed "send," the phone called 911, Martin said.

"(Britton) said they couldn't keep the phones away from her daughter," Martin said. "She said the child was a little monkey and wherever they hid the phones, they child would find them."

The officer said he suggested they carry the cell phones in their pants pockets, but Britton told the officer she didn't have pant pockets. He also suggested putting the phones on top of the refrigerator.

Later that night, after the officer had left, the 2-year-old found one of the cell phones and called 911 for the 15th time in January, Martin said.

Thursday morning, Martin said he returned to the apartment and arrested Britton, 23, and Hatcher, 33, who occasionally lives with Britton, the officer said. Britton and Hatcher were charged with second-degree obstructing governmental administration, a misdemeanor. Neither Britton nor Hatcher could be reached for comment Monday.

(The mother) said they tried hiding the phones, but the child would find them," Martin said.

Friday morning -- the day after charges were filed -- the 2-year-old called 911 three more times, the officer said.

Both Martin and Lowville Village Police Chief Eric Fredenburg said they wouldn't charge someone if a child happened to call 911 once or twice, but in this case "something needed to be done" to stop the 911 calls, Fredenburg said.

"It's case-by-case," Martin said. "But with this many calls, it was excessive. We can't have our dispatchers on the phone with a 2-year-old when they're putting true 911 emergencies on hold.

"Our dispatchers are taxed as it is," the officer said. "Having this many calls is a hindrance to them. We needed to follow through to have it stop."

He then paused, and said, "Hopefully it will stop."