[PHOTO CREDIT: iStock / Ulf Wittrock]
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[Original Publish Date: 10/07/19]
TAVARES, Florida – A disturbance yesterday between a man and woman outside a residence at 107 Rockingham Avenue ended with the man’s arrest for the crime of misuse of 911 communications. Throughout multiple police contacts the arrestee – Kenneth L. White, 40, – was “[s]creaming things like ‘ya’ll don’t know who I am’ and ‘I run this place, I’m THE bondsman’”, according to a police report. He was irate because he accused a woman of having taken his car keys – something White called 911 twice to report.
According to police, White “began getting loud about how Ms. [Jasmine] Royal took his keys. Ms. Royal allowed for me to search her purse and wallet for Mr. White[‘]s keys with negative results.” Royal left the area to obtain a Lyft ride share, and police assumed that White would calm down. However, “Lake dispatch informed me that Mr. White was back [on a ] land line 911 wanting to report his keys being stolen. Let it be noted,” the report continues, “that there were three marked patrol vehicle[s] directly in front of his residence at the time he called 911 about his keys… White approached me to which he was instructed again that I would investigate his stolen/lost keys but he needed to calm down and not call 911 when there is no emergency and there are three police officers in front of his residence.”
Police helped White search for his keys, but when the woman’s Lyft arrived White began “throwing his hands in the area (sic) and tapping his chest in an intimidating manner”, according to the report. Despite being instructed to go inside his home and wait until morning, police report, “At approximately 0208 hours Mr. White again called back on 911 asking about his keys. I responded back out to the listed address and made contact with Mr. White. Mr. White did not have any new information about his keys and stated that there was no emergency.” White was arrested, and “had a few verbal out burst[s] upon our arrival at the jail”, according to the report.
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James Hope is a Florida Bar Board Certified Criminal Trial Lawyer who has been practicing criminal law in Tavares, Florida, since 1987. He has also been the Publisher and Executive Editor of Lake Legal News since 2009. He may be contacted at LakeLegalNews@gmail.com, or through his website at www.AttorneyJamesHope.com. [PHOTO CREDIT: Bonnie Whicher]