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Arizona authorities arrest woman suspected of fake 911 call

Siren Generic
Posted at 7:19 AM, Nov 30, 2018
and last updated 2018-11-30 09:58:47-05

BUCKEYE, Ariz. (AP) - Authorities say a woman has been arrested in the Phoenix suburb of Buckeye on suspicion of making a false 911 call that locked down an elementary school, panicked parents and tied up police resources for more than an hour.

The Buckeye Police Department says it received a 911 call about 8:45 a.m. Wednesday from a woman claiming a man with a shotgun was walking around Bales Elementary School in the city about 30 miles (48 kilometers) west of Phoenix. The school was placed on lockdown and police officers did not find a gunman or weapon.

Detectives investigating several residential burglaries determined the caller's voice sounded like a woman they talked with at a home nearby that morning and arrested 27-year-old Melani Hendrick in the afternoon.