911 crank caller accused of 3,600 bogus calls in a year

(CBS) HENDERSON, Nev. - Henderson police arrested a 35-year-old man Wednesday who is accused of calling 911 more than 3,600 times over the past year, reports CBS affiliate KLAS.

If you do the arithmetic (thank you, Bill Clinton) that comes to an average of about 10 calls to 911 every day.

Tuy Thai is specifically facing 59 counts of unlawful use of 911, stemming from the calls he allegedly made from his cell phone this week on Nov. 6 and 7.

Thai had been questioned in the past regarding his calls but he claimed someone else was using his phone. Police say they were watching Thai and actually witnessed him make the calls earlier this week. According to police, he would tie up the emergency line with hang-up calls.

"Crank calls into 911 dispatch centers prevent people with real emergencies from getting through quicker," Henderson Police Chief Patrick Moers said. "When there is an emergency, every second can count and fake calls can delay getting help to the people who really need it."

The calls began more than a year ago coming from a cell phone without a registered address, but dispatchers were able to get a hold of Thai.

Thai was booked into the Henderson Detention Center and faces a maximum of one year in jail plus a $2,000 fine on each count.