Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office press release:

On April 24, 2021, at about 11:44 a.m., Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to a motel on the 300 block of State Highway 96 to contact an individual harassing medical and emergency communications dispatchers via 9-1-1.

Robert Melvin Hurd. | HCSO

Robert Melvin Hurd, age 63, contacted the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Communications Center via 9-1-1 approximately 26 times over the course of eight hours. During these contacts, Hurd was uncooperative and belligerent with dispatch staff. Upon deputy contact, Hurd continued being hostile with deputies.

Hurd was taken into custody and booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility on charges of unlawful 9-1-1 calls (PC 653x) and disorderly conduct while under the influence (PC 647(f)).

The Sheriff’s Office would like to remind the public that utilizing 9-1-1 for non-emergency purposes, including to harass dispatchers, is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $1,000, imprisonment in a county jail for up to six months, or both. While we recognize unintentional 9-1-1 calls do occasionally happen, often resulting in a verbal warning, abuse of the system is documented and will be forwarded to the District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.

The public is encouraged to utilize the Sheriff’s Office Main Line, 707-445-7251, for all non-emergency calls.