Two officers are arrested for 'making prank calls to a 911 dispatcher after a night of drinking'
What was supposed to be a fun night of drinking ended with a sheriff's deputy and an officer in Indiana behind bars after they were accused of prank calling a 911 operator to report false incidents.
Hamilton County Sheriff's Deputy David Needham, 39, and Cicero police officer Bradley Gorgas, 40, were arrested in May and charged with one misdemeanor count of false reporting.
According to court documents obtained by the Indianapolis Star, Needham and Gorgas had been drinking alcohol during a party at Gorgas' home on May 1 when they decided to prank call a 911 dispatcher.
Hamilton County Sheriff's Deputy David Needham pretended to be a woman named Jessica whose boyfriend was stalking her
Needham, disguising his voice, made the first call pretending to be a woman named Jessica whose boyfriend was stalking her. Needham, who used his own phone to make the call, told the dispatcher that the man was walking on a roadway in Cicero.
It's not clear if police responded to the report.
Roughly five minutes later, Gorgas allegedly dialed 911 telling the operator that 10 people were fighting at a gas station in Cicero. Six officers responded, but found there had been no altercation at the location, the outlet reports.
The Indiana State Police investigated the calls and traced one of them back to Needham's phone.
Needham told Indiana State Police investigators that he had been drinking heavily and did not remember making the prank calls until hearing his voice on the tape.
Both men admitted to making the bogus calls during a meeting with investigators.
According to the newspaper, Needham is currently on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the internal investigation. It's not clear if disciplinary action was taken against Gorgas.
They are expected to appear in court on July 11 for a joint initial hearing. If convicted, they could face jail and a $1,000 fine.