Police: Intoxicated man arrested after calling 9-1-1 with false report

A “heavily intoxicated” man was arrested early this morning after making a false report to 911 dispatch, according to Columbus police.

John Lee Richardson, 46, of Columbus was arrested at his home in the 1000 block of Illges Road around 12:40 a.m. and charged with unlawful conduct during a 9-1-1 call. He was transported to the Muscogee County Jail to await his preliminary hearing set for 8 a.m. Thursday in Columbus Recorder’s Court.

An officer said he was called to the suspect’s home around 12:30 a.m., approximately an hour after another officer responded to the scene and left.

Police said Richardson admitted to calling 911 dispatch both times. The man was heavily intoxicated, slurring his words and walking unsteadily, officials noted in a case report.

Using the computer-aided design system, the responding officer learned that Richardson originally reported that a “white male Columbus police officer” with Unit 396 was “bothering him.”

Richardson told the second officer who responded to the scene that the alleged white officer who was bothering him returned as soon as the first responding officer left. Police told Richardson that the department didn’t have a Unit 396.

Then the suspect said he actually “made it up” and the person who bothered him was a resident, according to the report. Authorities said the man later admitted that no one was actually bothering him at all, and he wasn’t sure why he kept calling 9-1-1.

Sarah Robinson: 706-571-8622, @sarahR_92

This story was originally published March 16, 2016 at 9:01 AM with the headline "Police: Intoxicated man arrested after calling 9-1-1 with false report."