A 34-year-old Canton man was arrested early Wednesday morning after his young daughter dialed 911 35 times in less than an hour.
Joshua Aaron Thompson was arrested at his home on Bedford Avenue after he was repeatedly warned by dispatchers to control his child.
Dispatchers wasted several minutes on each call, making sure that there was not a real emergency before hanging up.
Recordings from the Stark County 911 Dispatch Center detailed conversations between Thompson and dispatchers.
“I have no emergency, my 4-year-old daughter was messing with my phone,” Thompson said.
“Okay sir, we’re going to send police out there and they will arrest you for abusing 911,” a dispatcher responded. “You need to take the phone from your daughter.”
“I’m not abusing 911,” Thompson said.
“Well you’re responsible for your daughter,” the dispatcher replied. “You need to put the phone up.”
“I have took it from her,” he said.
“Okay this is the last warning, last warning,” the dispatcher said.
But minutes later the calls continued. Thompson can be heard laughing on subsequent calls.
“I honestly don’t have an emergency. (laughs) I really don’t.”
Police records show that officers arrived at the home at 12:52 a.m. Investigators found drugs and drug paraphernalia including a “white rock substance” and a “silver pipe,” locating in close proximity to Thompson’s four children.
Thompson was arrested for drug possession, drug paraphernalia possession, intoxication and child endangerment.
He is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday morning in Canton Municipal Court.
