By Florida standards, this story is actually not that bad. 28 year-old Johnathan Clayton Hinkle needed a ride really badly and apparently did not have enough for an Uber. Instead of asking friends or family members for a ride, he called 911 and made up a story about his sick grandmother in order to get local police to drive him to Hooters.
Here are more details from the NY Daily News:
Jonathan Clayton Hinkle, 28, told a dispatcher that his grandmother, Gayle Strickland, was having a stroke in a Hooters parking lot, and that he was attempting to get her help, according to a police report.
On the call, he said his grandmother was elderly, had a hard time hearing and suffered from other impairments.
He even offered to pay for the lift by police, including gas, and emphasized the urgency of the situation, the report said.
Police collected Hinkle at a 7/11 gas station and drove him to a Merritt Island Hooters, believing Strickland required medical assistance.
As I let Mr. Hinkle out of my patrol vehicle, he said thank you and took off in a full sprint across the parking lot and headed west,” the officer said.
Of course the Police investigated a bit more and contacted Hinkle’s grandmother to corroborate his story. Hinkle’s grandmother confirmed that she wasn’t having a stroke and was not at Hooters that day. Police later found Hinkle at a Burger King near Hooters helping his girlfriend with car trouble.
Hinkle was arrested and charged with misusing 911, which is a third degree felony. The police then gave him a ride to jail where he spent one night before being released on bail.