An Ohio woman, aged 34, has been found guilty of multiple felonies after making hundreds of fraudulent 911 calls, which led to the death of another individual due to the diversion of emergency services. Keisha S. Kennedy pleaded guilty to one count of disrupting public services, one count of making false alarms, and 25 counts of misuse of 911 systems.
Kennedy, a resident of Zanesville, was accused of using local first responders as a personal taxi service for hospital trips, according to the Muskingum County Prosecutor’s Office. Since 2020, Kennedy had dialed 911 nearly 400 times, reporting various non-existent illnesses. This excessive misuse of emergency resources put a significant strain on the South Zanesville Fire Department (SZFD), which is responsible for emergency responses in the area.
The community felt the impact of Kennedy’s actions, as her constant need for transportation to the hospital for non-existent emergencies left first responders unavailable to attend to real emergencies. For instance, SZFD responders were unable to attend to a call involving a person with breathing difficulties because they were transporting Kennedy on a false call. Tragically, the individual later died. In another instance, the SZFD was understaffed for a fire due to personnel attending to Kennedy.
Kennedy’s 911 calls were so frequent that it was not uncommon for her to call multiple times in a single day. Despite being repeatedly informed by doctors at Genesis Hospital that she had no medical issues, Kennedy continued to call 911. Each time she was brought in, the hospital was obligated to triage her, with taxpayers footing the bill for her transportation and hospital visits through Medicaid.
Before her guilty plea, a forensic psychologist evaluated Kennedy and diagnosed her with a factitious disorder, a condition where individuals deceive others by pretending to be sick or by self-injuring. On one occasion, Kennedy feigned an inability to stand or walk when first responders arrived at Licking Memorial Hospital. She then pretended to be unconscious and claimed she did not understand her rights due to a disability. However, doctors confirmed that she was not disabled and required no medical care.
Kennedy’s misuse of emergency services extended to several other counties, including Licking, Guernsey, Franklin, and Cuyahoga. She was previously convicted for misusing the Licking County 911 system. Muskingum County Assistant Prosecutor John Litle expressed shock at the case and emphasized the need for checks and balances to prevent such abuse of emergency services. Kennedy’s sentencing hearing is yet to be scheduled.