FIRST ON 3: Fired 911 operator suspended earlier this year

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — A 911 operator fired last week days after she handled a call during which a man was stabbed to death had been suspended earlier this year.

A public records request by WWAY shows New Hanover County suspended Letha Anderson Jan. 24 for disciplinary reasons. The county did not specify what led to the suspension.

The records show Anderson, 40, was suspended May 6, which was four days after she took a call from 503 Night Hawk Drive. During the incident a female caller said her brother was suicidal and later stabbed their father. Corey Eugene Roberts, 20, has been charged with murdering his father Christopher Eugene Roberts, 52. During the call Anderson raised her voice and cut the caller off multiple times.

The county fired Anderson Thursday. The county will not yet say why it chose to terminate Anderson, who started working for New Hanover County in June 1997, because she is within the window to appeal her dismissal. According to county policy, she has five business days to appeal.