Ohio woman who made 400 fake 911 calls pleads guilty to '911 abuse' contributing to a person's death

An Ohio woman who repeatedly made fake 911 calls has pleaded guilty this month to what prosecutors describe in a bizarre crime referred to as "911 abuse," resulting in significant disruption to emergency services and indirectly contributing to a person's death.

Kesha S. Kennedy, a 34-year-old from Zanesville, entered a guilty plea on July 15 to felony charges of disrupting public services and making false alarms, along with 25 misdemeanor counts of misusing 911 systems, according to a statement from the Muskingum County Prosecutor's Office.

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Prosecutors stated that Kennedy's actions placed a heavy burden on local emergency services, often using them for non-existent emergencies to secure ambulance rides to the hospital.

These false alarms diverted crucial resources, including ambulances and first responders, away from genuine emergencies, the prosecutors said.

Since 2020, Kennedy allegedly made nearly 400 fake 911 calls for various fabricated illnesses, sometimes multiple times a day.

In one instance, the South Zanesville Fire Department was unable to respond to a call about a person struggling to breathe because they were attending to Kennedy. Tragically, the person needing help was later pronounced dead.

Another incident reportedly left the fire department understaffed during a fire because they were occupied with Kennedy.

Prosecutors claimed Kennedy exploited first responders for "personal entertainment" by seeking ambulance rides, only to be told by doctors that she had no medical issues upon arrival at the hospital.

Despite her false claims, the hospital had to conduct triage, which was costly for taxpayers who funded these visits through Medicaid.

Kennedy was evaluated by a forensic psychologist before her plea, who determined she exhibited a factitious disorder, meaning she feigned illness, Muskingum County Assistant Prosecutor John Litle said in court.

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Kennedy's misuse of 911 was not limited to Muskingum County; she had similar incidents in four other Ohio counties, including Licking, Guernsey, Franklin, and Cuyahoga.

In 2023, Kennedy was convicted of misusing the 911 system in Licking County, where she pretended to be unable to stand or walk, only to be exposed by doctors as not disabled.

Litle emphasized the need for better tracking of fake 911 calls to prevent such abuses. "Some type of check or balance needs to exist to report this abuse more quickly," he said. "Three hundred fifty pointless ambulance runs is absolutely ridiculous."

South Zanesville Police Chief Mark Ross brought the case to Litle's attention, leading to a swift investigation and the cessation of Kennedy's abuses.

Kennedy appeared in Muskingum County Court of Common Pleas on July 12, where she entered her guilty plea. Her sentencing is pending.