A 70-year-old Hamilton man has been charged with mischief after calling 911 to complain about the fact that this week’s Amber Alert had disturbed his rest.
At 5:04 p.m. on Tuesday, Hamilton police said a male called 911 “who stated that he did not have an emergency and was calling 911 to purposely tie up emergency lines.”
“The male was angry about receiving the Amber Alert on his phone since he was trying to rest,” officers said. “He indicated he would continue to call in response to the ongoing alert.”
Investigators then looked up his number and identified him.
Officers then arrested the man, who they identified as Douglas Bagshaw.
He was charged with one count of mischief and released on a promise to appear.
He is expected to attend court in Hamilton on Oct. 3.
Tuesday’s Amber Alert helped locate the father of five children aged 5 to 14, who police then followed to find the children at a cottage in Ridgeway, near Fort Erie.
All five kids are now safe and Niagara Regional Police say an investigation is ongoing.
Police services across the province have routinely reported that numerous individuals call 911 to complain about being disturbed by Amber Alerts.
