Cops: Florida Man Has Dialed 911 16,000 Times

JUNE 16--During the first five months of this year, a 72-year-old Florida Man has placed 3400 calls to 911, pushing his five-year total to 16,000 calls to the police emergency line, according to investigators who arrested the “recurring caller” for allegedly stalking a neighbor.

Police last week responded to a 911 call claiming that someone was “shooting an AR-15 rifle in the roadway” outside a St. Petersburg residence. When officers arrived at the home, they discovered a family barbecue “with small children at play.”

With regard to the reported gunplay, “numerous neighbors advised that such an event did not occur,” according to a police report.

The complainant was Samuel Lee Thomas, who lives across the street from where the shooting purportedly happened.

Police communications records showed that Thomas this year dialed police 647 times to make complaints about the neighboring home. He has made allegations about narcotics sales, firearms usage, disorderly conduct, and suspicious activity.

Anqunette Peterson, 34, who lives at the targeted property, told cops that the 911 calls had resulted in “hundreds of interactions with the police” and that Thomas “frequently stops in front of their residence to yell obscenities at her and her family.”

Concluding that it was “readily apparent” that Thomas was “utilizing the police to maliciously harass Peterson and her family for no legitimate purpose,” cops busted Thomas for stalking and false report of a crime. He was also charged with resisting arrest for allegedly tussling with officers when they tried to handcuff him.

Peterson said she wanted to press charges against Thomas because she was fearful that the constant police calls could “escalate into a potential dangerous situation,” adding that her family had already suffered “severe emotional distress.”

Thomas’s telephonic proclivities extended beyond Peterson’s household. According to a criminal complaint, Thomas “has made approximately 3400 calls to the police this year and 16,000 calls within the last 5 years.” The complaint does not detail the nature--or target--of those additional 911 calls, but indicates that, with regard to Thomas, there was no indication of mental health issues, or drug or alcohol influence.

Free on $1500 bond, Thomas has pleaded not guilty to the three misdemeanor charges.

Thomas’s rap sheet includes multiple battery convictions, as well as convictions for DUI; pot possession; disorderly intoxication; passing bad checks; violating probation; and failure to return rented merchandise. He has not previously been busted for misusing the 911 system.

In a brief phone conversation today with TSG, Thomas said, “I don’t know nothing about stalking,” adding that his calls to police were about “neighborhood nuisances.” Thomas, who said he was “ex-military,” promised to call a reporter back tomorrow. (2 pages)