This is why you don’t drink and dial.
There are many things that can constitute an emergency. For some, it could mean a trip to the hospital. For Allen Troy Brooks it meant running low on some brewskis. The Columbia, Tenn. man called the 911 emergency hotline several times last Saturday, asking for a ride so he could stock up. According to ABC News, that exchange sort of went something like this:
“Hey, you want to take me to the store?” [The] 67-year-old man from Columbia, Tenn., asked the 911 dispatcher. “I want to go to the store to get me a beer. I’ll pay you.”
“OK. Sir. I can’t take you to the store to get a beer,” the dispatcher said.
(MORE: Top 10 Non-Emergency 911 Calls)
It’s probably hard not to surmise that Brooks didn’t his beer at the end of the day. Instead of a trip to the liquor store, Brooks was arrested for making a call to 911 without a valid emergency, though he was later released on a $1,500 bond. (And just to clarify, no — running out of beer on a Saturday night is not an emergency.)
In response to his predicament, Brooks claims he had called the wrong number and was trying to reach a friend, though it had been noted Brooks had called 911 on 11 separate occasions in the past month. Each time, he just simply hung up on authorities.
(MORE: Connecticut Man Calls 911 Because Local Deli is Making His Sandwich Wrong)
Each state has different punishments for abusing 911, but in many places it can include jail time and a fine. Many local 911 systems are already being swamped by frivolous and non-emergency calls, making it more difficult to serve citizens in need of dire help.
Brooks has said he won’t do it again.
Erica Ho is a contributor at TIME and the editor of Map Happy. Find her on Twitter at @ericamho and Google+. You can also continue the discussion on TIME’s Facebook page and on Twitter at @TIME.