DETROIT - Two Detroit 911 operators were charged with willfulneglect of duty for their mishandling of calls from a 5-year-old boywho was trying to get help for his dying mother.
"We expect our 911 operators to be level headed, to have commonsense, to be analytical, to ask the necessary questions, to exercisegood judgment, be skillful and be respectful - especially with achild," said Wayne County Prosecutor Kym L. Worthy.
Sharon Nichols, 43, and Teri Sutton 47, both of Detroit, werecharged Wednesday with misdemeanors punishable by up to one year injail.
Nichols and Sutton were suspended by the Detroit PoliceDepartment. The department didn't comment on whether they will bedisciplined further pending the outcome of an internal investigation.
The 5-year-old, Robert Turner, now lives with his mother's sister,Deliana, and her husband, Tyrone Patterson, who are his legalguardians.
A spokeswoman for Worthy said she expected Nichols and Suttonwould turn themselves in today.
Worthy said the operators treated the Feb. 20 calls as pranks andfailed to follow procedures designed to evaluate the nature of callsto the emergency center. Operators sent police to the home todiscipline the child for making prank calls.
Three hours after the second 911 call, police found the boy'smother, Sherrill Lynn Turner, 46, dead on the kitchen floor.
Turner called 911 at 5:59 p.m. on Feb. 20 and Nichols took thecall. The boy told her his mother had passed out, but Nicholsinsisted he put his mother on the phone. Worthy said the call lasted43 seconds. During that time, Nichols failed to properly question theboy to determine the problem before hanging up, officials said.
Three hours later, at 9:02 p.m., the boy again called 911 as hismother had taught him to do, Worthy said. This time, Sutton spokewith the youngster for one minute and 16 seconds.
Worthy said Sutton also disregarded the boy's statement that hismother had passed out. Instead, she threatened to send the policeover to discipline the child.
Nichols was suspended for five days and Sutton for three after theincident.
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