Ohio Woman Convicted After Falsely Calling 911 Nearly 400 Times, Resulting In One Death

An Ohio woman has been convicted of making nearly 400 false 911 calls, including one that resulted in a death, Law & Crime reported.

Keisha S. Kennedy was convicted of multiple felonies for making hundreds of false 911 calls, which overwhelmed local emergency services with tragic results. according to Reported to Law&Crime : Authorities said Kennedy previously pleaded guilty to one felony count of obstruction of a public service, one felony count of false alarm and 25 felony counts of unauthorized use of the 911 system.

The woman called 911 nearly 400 times for “non-existent emergencies,” leaving one man dead, and was using the ambulance for “personal entertainment on ambulance rides to the hospital.” https://t.co/51gYHVxByj

— Law & Crime (@lawcrimenews) July 17, 2024

Over the past few years, Kennedy had called emergency services approximately 400 times, complaining of various ailments and needing to be transported to the hospital by ambulance. This misuse of resources put a strain on the South Zanesville Fire Department (SZFD), the media outlet reported. This diversion of resources had dire effects on the community, especially when SZFD rescuers were transporting Kennedy due to a false alarm and therefore failed to treat a person suffering from severe respiratory distress, who later died.

Kennedy’s frequent misuse of emergency services overwhelmed staff and affected the SZFD’s ability to respond to other emergencies, such as fires, Law & Crime reported. Despite doctors at Genesis Hospital repeatedly reassuring her that she had no medical issues, she continued her pattern of behavior, costing the hospital and taxpayers, who foot the bill for these unnecessary ambulance calls through Medicaid. (Related: Video shows ambulance narrowly avoiding overturned car on highway)

Things escalated, and during an incident at Licking Memorial Hospital, Kennedy pretended she couldn’t walk or stand, and even pretended to be unconscious after receiving help from paramedics. According to Law & Crime, doctors confirmed she was not disabled and did not require medical care. A forensic psychologist’s evaluation concluded that Kennedy suffered from factitious disorder, meaning she repeatedly fabricated or invented illnesses or injuries in order to receive medical care.