Brunswick police: Drunken 'burglar in a box' 911 caller cited for misusing the emergency number

BRUNSWICK, Ohio - Brunswick police have cited a woman for knowingly abusing 911, after she had a few drinks and called a dispatcher to tell them she caught a burglar in a box.

A dispatcher received the call around 1:40 a.m. on Nov. 24. The first few words are so slurred, you can't understand what the caller is trying to say. Finally, she says somebody had broken into my apartment. Actually, several people.

Dispatcher: Where are you hearing these people at?
Caller: Like right by my patio door, in my closet. Because I was going to sleep on the couch, but I keep hearing sounds in my closet. My closet is huge, you can hide a lot of stuff. The guy was hiding in the bathroom and another guy's on the patio.
Dispatcher: You hear somebody in your closet?
Caller: Yeah, like moving in the closet. In the bathroom...
Dispatcher: And you think it's two different people that's in your house?
Caller: It's more than two people in here. One guy I hit because he was hiding inside a box and he had moved the box. I hit him with a broom. Why would people do this kind of crazy stuff?

WEB EXTRA: Click on the play button to hear the 911 call

Police officers came to the woman's house and found the box she "trapped the burglar" in, but no one was there.

They never found anyone and learned the woman was drinking when she made the 911 call.

The woman was cited for misuse of the 911 system in Brunswick Mayor's Court.