End of the line: Man charged with making hundreds of fake 911 calls

Police have arrested a Kenaston man they say was behind hundreds of fake 911 calls.

Saskatchewan’s 911 dispatch centre started receiving calls in November that were not about any emergencies, and nobody identified themselves on the phone.

“911 dispatchers and police officers treat all calls seriously and have to ensure there is no emergency at the other end of the line, even if no one speaks during the call or the caller hangs up,” the RCMP said in a media release.

“Officers repeatedly checked the area where these calls were being placed and did not find evidence of any emergency or need for police assistance.”

Saskatoon police investigated the calls, which were made from a cellphone that wasn’t registered.

On Tuesday, officers executed a search warrant at a home in Kenaston and arrested a 59-year-old man. He was charged with one count of harassing communications and one count of failing to comply with a probation order.

“911 is the lifeline for Saskatchewan residents experiencing an emergency,” Sgt. David Pidlisny of the Saskatoon RCMP said in the release. “We can’t tolerate any misuse of it — it needlessly ties up 911 dispatchers’ and police officers’ time.

“I’m pleased our officers were able to investigate thoroughly and determine the origin of these calls.”