WPD: Man prank calls 911 to get roommate evicted

Case#: 2010-007531
Time: 10:47 p.m. – Wednesday night
Location: 3521 Metting Road
Offense: Misuse of 911 system, Resist / obstruct a public officer

Summary: The reporting party called 911 to say that he was being held against his will by someone with a gun. When WPD officers converged on the area, three men near the residence took off running. An officer captured one of the men before he could run into the woods. A second man ran into the woods, but the SABLE helicopter responded, and directed officers on the ground to the man’s location.

Meanwhile, the complainant, who was still on the phone with the 911 center, stated repeatedly that there were people still in the house, that one of them had a gun, and that he was not being allowed to leave. Officers surrounded the apartment and eventually the door opened and several people came out. The complainant stayed inside and tried to slip out the back door, but he was detained by officers posted at the back of the apartment. No gun was found on anyone, nor was any weapon found inside the apartment.

After interviewing everyone involved, officers determined that the reporting party made up the entire story. After being involved in a dispute with the woman who rents the apartment, he called 911 and made the false claim in an attempt to get her evicted.

The suspect, John Roland Benjamin, d.o.b. 12-2-1987, of Wilmington was arrested and charged with Misuse of the 911 System and Resist / Obstruct a Public Officer. He is in custody at the New Hanover County detention facility under $1,000 secured bond.

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