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Wis. deputy responds to assist after 10-year-old calls 911 for help with math homework

“Our young caller… was told we are always here to help, except next time he should probably use the non-emergency line,” the Shawano County Sheriff’s Office stated

By Joanna Putman
EMS1

SHAWANO COUNTY, Wis. — A 10-year-old boy took an unconventional route to solve his math homework dilemma by dialing 911 for help, Vice reported.

According to the Shawano Sheriff’s Office, the boy admitted to the dispatcher, Kim Krause, that he knew the call wasn’t appropriate but explained that neither he nor his family was “very good at math.”

Rather than dismissing the call outright, Krause decided to assist, according to the report.

“She had some time, so she said, ‘Can I help you with the problem?’” Sheriff George Lenzner told Good Morning America.

However, the boy’s lengthy math problem stumped even the dispatcher. Krause then suggested sending a deputy to help, according to the report.

“[This] isn’t something we really normally do,” Lenzner said, “but he wasn’t busy at the time, and he was in the area, so he stopped by.”

Mason, who has a stepson around the boy’s age, sat down to help with the math problem, according to the report.

Reflecting on the incident, Mason wrote in his report, “Personally, I am also not overly proficient when it comes to math, but nonetheless, I responded to assist.”

“Our young caller was provided a business card and was told we are always here to help, except next time he should probably use the non-emergency line if it’s not a life-threatening situation,” the sheriff’s office stated.

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