By Ben Schmitt
Detroit Free Press
Copyright 2008 Detroit Free Press
DETROIT — Emergency operator Sharon Nichols maintained her composure as a jury read a guilty verdict against her today for mishandling a 911 call from a 5-year-old Detroit boy seeking help for his unconscious mother.
But she exploded into tears and buried her head in the shoulder of a fellow 911 operator as she left the courtroom. The other operator, Terri Sutton, was found not guilty by a judge on the same accusation earlier this week.
“I’m so sorry,” Sutton told Nichols. “I’m so sorry.”
A jury of five women and one man delivered the guilty verdict at 12:27 p.m. today after nearly three hours of deliberations in 36th District Court.
Nichols was convicted of willful neglect of duty, a misdemeanor, and faces up to one year in jail. She will be sentenced by Judge Paula Humphries on March 11.
Assistant Wayne County Prosecutor Lora Weingarden said she is thrilled with the verdict.
“I hope that it makes every 911 operator in the city and across the country think real hard before dismissing a call as a prank,” Weingarden said outside the courtroom.
She said the case marks the first time nationally that a 911 operator has been charged with a crime for mishandling a phone call.
Jurors all declined to comment as they left the courtroom.
The case stems from a Feb. 20, 2006, call from Robert Turner, then 5, to 911 after his mother fell unconscious in her Detroit home. It was later determined that his mother, Sherrill Turner, died of complications of an enlarged heart.
Robert’s father, Robert Yelder, 57, said his son has not recovered from the incident.
“I feel that justice has been done,” Yelder said today. “The family is very happy. My son has been going through a lot. We thank the jury for doing a wonderful job.”
Nichols, 45, testified Thursday that she could not hear Robert on the other end of the line.
The boy called 911 at 5:59 p.m. and reached Nichols telling her, “My mom has passed out.”
On the 911 audiotape, Nichols is heard saying, “I’m gonna send the police to your house and find out what’s going on with you.”
Asked why she did not request a police car, Nichols said she believed the call to be a prank.
“I was trying to get him to admit he was playing on the phone,” she said. “I heard a mumble, but I did not really hear what he said.”
Weingarden said Nichols was a terrible witness.
“I don’t think she told the truth and I think the jury saw through that,” she said.
On the night in question, Robert called back at 9:02 p.m. and reached operator Sutton, who scolded him but requested a police response. Detroit police arrived at the apartment in about five minutes, records show, and found Sherrill Turner dead.
On Wednesday, Judge Humphries dismissed charges against Sutton, 48, after prosecutors presented their case against her. Her attorney, David Lee, requested the dismissal, and it was granted before the case went to a jury.
Humphries said Sutton, who was a 19-year veteran, may have been rude to the boy over the phone, but she requested a police car.
Nichols and her attorney Cornelius Pitts said the case would be appealed but was uncertain whether he would handle the appeal.