An Ohio woman, Kesha Kennedy, pleaded guilty to making hundreds of fake 911 calls, resulting in numerous ambulance rides and straining emergency services in Zanesville, according to the Muskingum County Prosecutor’s Office. Kennedy’s actions diverted critical resources away from genuine emergencies, with the bogus calls dating back to 2020.
Critical incidents
One notable incident involved the South Zanesville Fire Department, which was unable to respond to a call involving a person unable to breathe, who later died, because they were transporting Kennedy. She made nearly 400 calls, sometimes multiple times a day, complaining about various illnesses. Once at the hospital, doctors found her in good health, and each transport was funded by taxpayer dollars through Medicaid.
Legal consequences
A forensic psychologist evaluated Kennedy and diagnosed her with a factitious disorder. “She’s a liar,” said Muskingum County Assistant Prosecutor John Litle in court. Kennedy pleaded guilty on July 12 to disrupting public services and false alarms, both felonies, and 25 misdemeanor counts of misuse of 911 systems.
Pattern of deception
Kennedy’s behavior was not isolated to Zanesville; she exhibited similar conduct in at least four other Ohio counties. In Licking County, she previously pleaded guilty to misusing the 911 system. In one incident at Licking Memorial Hospital, Kennedy pretended to be unable to stand or walk, faked unconsciousness, and then claimed she did not understand her rights because she was disabled. Doctors quickly debunked her claims.
Call for better tracking
Assistant Prosecutor Litle emphasized the need for a better system to track fake 911 calls, highlighting the impact on emergency services. “Obviously, some type of check or balance needs to exist, so that this type of abuse is more quickly reported by EMS to law enforcement because 350 pointless ambulance runs is absolutely ridiculous,” he said.
Kennedy will be sentenced at a later date.