Chase Leads to Hospital and a Suspension

A DeSoto County (La.) sheriff’s dispatcher was suspended for three days without pay after failing to properly relay information to deputies, who were pursuing a car they believed had been involved in a shooting. Sheriff Rodney Arbuckle didn’t name the radio dispatcher or say exactly how the mistake was made. He did say that a man burning trash was singed when he added gasoline to the fire. The flare-up also created a loud noise that nearby game wardens believed was gunfire. When the wardens arrived to investigate, they saw a vehicle speeding away, and began a pursuit. However, the vehicle was being driven by the homeowner, Donna Craig, who was speeding the man to a nearby hospital. She had called 911 for help, but then decided not to wait for an ambulance. The wardens and deputies chased the vehicle until it turned into the hospital’s ER driveway. At that same moment the 911 calltaker, in a separate building, relayed to the sheriff’s radio dispatcher that the vehicle was not involved in a shooting, but didn’t provide a vehicle description. Seconds later, Craig got out of the car and was tackled by deputies and briefly detained in handcuffs. E911 manager Bruce Vanderhoeven said he didn’t discipline any 911 employees, but has instructed dispatchers to obtain full vehicle descriptions for future medical transports by citizens. The deputy who detained Craig resigned, and another deputy received a five-day suspension without pay. Read the full story here.