NOBLESVILLE, Ind. -- Two Hamilton County law enforcement officers were charged this week with false informing for allegedly making prank phone calls to the county’s emergency dispatch.
David Needham, a Hamilton County sheriff’s deputy, and Bradley Gorgas, an officer with the Cicero Police Department, were charged Wednesday with one count of false reporting, a class “B” misdemeanor.
According to a probable cause affidavit filed in Hamilton County Court, Needham told investigators he was “heavily intoxicated” at a party at Gorgas’ house on May 1 when he made a call to the Hamilton County 911 dispatch around 1:50 a.m.
Needham reportedly disguised his phone to sound like a female, “Jessica,” who was reporting that her boyfriend was stalking her near State Road 19 and Bayshore Drive.
Five minutes later, the dispatch received a second call, this one allegedly made by Gorgas, reporting a fight involving 10 people at the Speedway gas station in Cicero. The caller said he was scared and that officers needed to arrive quickly.
Both reports were determined to be false, and the initial call was traced back to Needham’s cellphone.
According to the affidavit, Needham told investigators that the intent of the calls was to “prank the dispatcher,” and that there was no other intent. Needham also reportedly told police he had placed a second phone call to place a false complaint about the dispatcher.
Needham and Gorgas were scheduled for an initial hearing on July 11. If found guilty, they face a maximum penalty of up to 180 days in jail and a fine of $1,000.
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