Stewart Twp. man accused of making dozens of fake 911 calls
A Stewart Township man who has a history of making phony 911 calls is being held without bond for allegedly making at least 100 non-emergency calls to emergency departments over a two-week period.
On Saturday, 62-year-old Frank Bowers was arraigned on 100 counts of intentionally making non-emergency calls to 911 and cited him for 100 counts of harassment.
According to the complaint, Bowers has a history of calling 911 for emergency services from his house located at1728 Mill Run Road in Stewart Township.
An emergency dispatch call log showed Bowers allegedly made 143 calls between Dec. 31 and Jan. 12, including 36 for fire rescue, 46 for medical emergencies, and 61 other calls, police alleged. Additionally, Bowers is charged with making at least 11 phone calls to the Ohiopyle-Stewart Volunteer Fire Department over a similar time period.
The calls included false reports of structure fires, gunshots wounds and medical emergencies.
Police interviewed Matthew McKnight, assistant chief of operation for Fayette County EMS, who said that Bowers is on the “do-not-transport-list” in regard to non-emergency care due to previous incidents.
Since 2017, Fayette EMS has had a policy that when ambulance personnel respond to a call from Bowers, at least two police officers go with them, said Fayette EMS Chief Richard Adobato.
Adobato said Tuesday that fake calls for help take valuable resources away from the community.
“Whether it’s fire or police or whatever it may be, when we’re forced to send our people out it diverts people and equipment from people who really may be in need,” Adobato said.
Robert Joseph, chief of Ohiopyle-Stewart Volunteer Fire Department, reportedly told police Bowers often calls for non-existent structure fires, and once fire rescue personnel are on scene, he offers them an alcoholic drink
Joseph also said Bowers had made threats to burn down neighbors’ homes and historical landmarks, according to the complaint.
When asked by police if Bowers had ever called in a credible threat, Joseph responded, “not one time in 15 years.”
Joseph told a reporter on Tuesday that false alarms not only eat up valuable time and resources, but also can impact firefighters in other ways.
“The biggest stress is that once you realize it’s a false call, it puts firefighters at risk because it can bring complacency,” he said.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled next week in front of District Judge Daniel C. Shimshock.
Bowers is currently awaiting trial for another incident related to making false 911 calls and for an unrelated DUI charge.