911 Call Tangled With Torture Case

An investigation by the Calgary (Alb.) 911 center has concluded that a dispatcher failed to properly handle a call reporting he had been assaulted by a man is now accused of beating, sexually assaulting and torturing a co-worker. The 911 call came to light in April when a man was dropped off at a Regina hospital, barely alive and suffering from malnutrition, burns, brain damage and with parts of his lower lip and tongue missing. Police say he had been kidnapped and tortured over a two-year period, and arrested Dustin Paxton. Last February, a man called to say that Paxton had threatened to beat him up, and that Paxton had previously beaten up a co-worker, who turned out to be the torture victim. Calgary police say the 911 caller did not indicate any immediate danger during the 7-minute call, but that the dispatcher should have asked more questions. Read more about the case here. and download (pdf) the police department’s press release on the investigation here.