Toddler calls 911 16 times; mom gets citation
ASTORIA, Ore. -- More than dozen 911 calls have been made from the Astoria home of Jessica May since last month.
There hasn’t been an emergency.
May’s 1-year-old daughter has accidentally called 911 dispatch about 16 times while playing with her mom’s cellphone, including seven times last Thursday.
Astoria police said they have repeatedly warned May against allowing her daughter to play with the cellphone.
Frustrated, officers issued May a citation for improper use of an emergency reporting system.
The situation has prompted the question: How many parents allow their children to play with their cellphones?
One Astoria mother, Nicholle Mann, said she makes a point to teach her 4-year-old daughter the seriousness of calling 911. If Mann’s phone isn’t on her, it’s in hard-to-reach places, she said.
And when her daughter is playing her favorite game on the phone, Mann said she keeps the sound on to ensure her daughter isn’t accidentally making a call.
“It could potentially cause someone to lose their life because their child is holding up the line because they’re not paying attention,” she said.
That’s the issue with accidental 911 calls, emergency officials say. Every 911 hang-up call requires a dispatcher to call back and see if there’s an actual emergency.
The penalty if convicted of improper use of 911 is a $6,000 fine and up one year in jail.
Attempts by KATU to reach May on Wednesday were unsuccessful.
Do you people even know the whole story? The mom was in hte bathroom and the phone was out of the babies reach. She had it on a shelf charging it. The baby pulled on the cord and pulled it down. Her phone will call 911 by the push of 2 buttons. I think she don't need to be fined a whopping $5000, like the other TV stations are reporting! People with DUI's don't get fined that much! Damn, use common sense!
Maybe I am behind the times but wouldn't an actual toy be a better alternative for your child to play with? Perhaps that noisy little popping fisher price push toy? or maybe a stuffed animal or a doll?
@Owt_Raged ~  Guess I'm behind the times, too, Owt_Raged... 'cause I agree with you 100%..!  :-)
Good. Lousy parents need to start paying up.
I think 16 times was 15 times too many. How hard is it to keep a cell phone away from your toddler? She deserves the citation and all that follows should it happen again!
Does her phone have a one touch dial for 911? I don't get how the 1 year old dials the same three digit number and hits send that many times unless it is one touch.
Well, the 'mother' is obviously guilty of neglect. A phone is not a toy, nor is it a babysitter. If that child has been able to place sixteen 911 calls, it is obvious the egg donor is not watching that child! What about when it is matches, or a lighter, that child plays with?. Do you think sixteen calls to the fire department will teach that poor excuse for a parent anything? I have NEVER been on the side of CPS, but something needs to be done here. That baby NEEDS someone who cares enough to protect and guide her. Sadly, I don't think this is the last we will hear of this woman and child.
Of course, calls to May were unsuccessful. She doesn't want more publicity to reveal what an idiot she is, how lazy she is as a parent, and how apatehtic she is for the welfare of others. She's only into herself. She's totally DUH and a ditzbrain.
"And when her daughter is playing her favorite game on the phone"
I think I figured out the problem. It's the decline of western civilization.Â
I see so many parents allowing their little ones to play with and/or chew on their cell phones. Â Why? Â They are not toys. Â I've been called by a few kids doing this and it is REALLY annoying!!!
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@Dr. Rawdog I'm sure the child will be swatted on the behind. Or is that illegal these days?
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@Dr. Rawdog sensing a connection to the guy who slapped that 2 yr old on the plane there.
Why doesn't she download a free app that blocks all outgoing calls? Before handing the phone over to the toddler, enable the app. Problem solved!
@Morticae It's easier than that.... put the phone in 'Airline' mode and it turns off all transmitters.
@Sweetpea @Morticae Yeah, that's true! I never use that feature so I didn't think about it.
"Attempts by KATU to reach May on Wednesday were unsuccessful."
KATU couldn't reach the Mom because the phone was busy (dialing 911).
part of the mom's fine should be parenting classes. keep your eyes and focus on your 1 year old.Â
Doesn't fischer price have a toy cell phone
Maybe the mother's cell phone should be replaced with one of those!
I know the new Kindles have books for all ages as well as games and movies all for around $150.00.After 16 times it would seem that she would give her baby something else to play with.I wonder if she is the kind of parent who has this sense of entitlement that the entire universe revolves around her kid?
@noneofyourbizzness And the universe doesn't revolve around her kid?!?  Everyone I know has a couple of old cell phones laying around....why doesn't she give the kid one of those?  Of just tell her NO!
@Sundowner @noneofyourbizzness Just tell her NO. An old cell phone can still dial 911
@minniemouse I actually meant one with the battery removed.  The kid's a year old...does she need the hand-held gaming options at that age?  If mom doesn't learn to say NO pretty quick, that kid's gonna be a terror by the time she hits kindergarten.
I think I would of taken the phone away after the first time the police and fire trucks show up. 119 does not work to cancel
What she should do is get a used iphone 1 for the child for $30 or a used ipod which can play games as well. Â This is sad...
@portlandborn83Â Or just a piece of cardboard. Â She's 1 year old for crying out loud, she's not going to tell the difference.
What in the world did these people do before there were cell phones..?
@margay1 They didn't get citations for this madness, that's for sure. :)
@Seriously @margay1 Ha!
@margay1Â They weren't around then!
@washcomom @margay1 Oof.
shame on the toddler for letting her mentally challenged mother take the blame
Glad she wasn't playing with a gun! Is mom paying attention?
1 year olds should not have a smart phone as a toy. That's just plain dumb. Give them a rattle or some other toy. They don't need to have what mommy has.Â
@washcomom  Well of course they should have everything mommy has. They should have everything that they want. You see it in the stores ALL the time! (sarc off)
For the cost of replacing a damaged smart phone I don't let any kids play with my phone.
Too many breeders, too few parents.
Lots of parents put games on their phones to entertain the kids in certain situations. Too bad there isn't a kid mode like the airplane mode.
@axpman There is a kid mode.  It's called "NO".