In Virginia, making false 911 calls is a Class 1 Misdemeanor

Only dial 911 in a true emergency.Photo byFlickr screenshot

Don't even consider making fake 911 calls

Decades ago, teenagers made harmless prank calls on the old dial-up telephones. Today, misusing phone lines is illegal. WDB7 reports to the Southwest Virginia audience that an Ohio woman has been charged with making 400 unnecessary calls to 911 and tying up emergency lines.

Kesha S. Kennedy, 34, of Zanesville, pleaded guilty last week to felony disrupting public services, felony making false alarms and 25 counts of misdemeanor misuse of 911 systems, the Muskingum County Prosecutor’s Office announced Monday.

If you may be considering making prank 911 calls in the Commonwealth, Virginia law considers this action a Class 1 misdemeanor, which can be prosecuted as a felony. Tying up the lines unnecessarily may keep someone with a real emergency from getting through.