Story Archive

More Expensive than Uber

Jonathan Clayton Hinkle, 28, called 911 in Brevard County, Fla., to report that his grandmother had suffered a stroke, and he needed a ride to get to her to render aid. Where to? the dispatcher asked. The parking lot of the Hooters on Merritt Island. He would run there if he had to, but he was willing to pay for a ride to get there quickly, he said. Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the Hooters to look for the elderly woman in the parking lot and, when that failed, in the area, but found nothing after a three-hour search. Until, that is, they tried calling Gayle Strickland, 79, directly. She said she was fine, and had asked Hinkle for help in moving her stuff. Hinkle was arrested, charged with felony-level misuse of 911, which could earn him up to 5 years in prison. (RC/Orlando Sentinel) ...Though of course, after six weeks in he’ll be asking for a special release “to attend my grandmother’s funeral.”