The Associated Press
HARRISON CITY, Pa. — A western Pennsylvania man has been charged with making three 911 calls to report bogus emergencies simply because he was lonely and wanted paramedics to show up.
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports 52-year-old Gregory Shaffer was jailed after his arraignment Wednesday on charges of making false reports to authorities.
Penn Township police say Shaffer called Westmoreland County’s 911 center three times between 4:20 p.m. and 8:34 p.m. on July 30 with various bogus complaints. For example, the first time Shaffer claimed he had fallen down some stairs and injured his head and neck, only to have paramedics find him intoxicated but otherwise well and calmly waiting inside his home.
Online court records don’t list an attorney for Shaffer who remained in the county jail Thursday. He faces a preliminary hearing Tuesday.