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Jamaica man jailed for reporting false emergencies

JAMAICA—A man was sentenced to six years in prison on May 26 after he was convicted of calling 911 more than 50 times to report non-existent emergencies, according to the Queens district attorney’s office.

According to DA Richard Brown, Ronald DeShields, 42, of Jamaica, made 52 calls to 911 between Jan. 20 and Feb. 10 in 2014. During the call, he said there was an emergency at 89th Avenue and 161st Street, as well as other locations. The fabricated emergencies ran the gamut from police-involved shootings, officers in need of assistance or fires in apartments. Emergency personnel were sent to the stated location each time.

DeShields was later arrested, according to the Queens DA. Brown said that DeShields was in possession of the phone he used to make the calls at the time of his arrest.

In April, DeShields was convicted of falsely reporting an incident and reckless endangerment, according to the DA. His six-year stint in prison will be followed by five years of post-release supervision, according to Brown.