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Tampa Man Charged With Making False 911 Calls

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By HOWARD ALTMAN | The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 10, 2008

Updated: 07/10/2008 02:51 pm

Ramon E. Diaz

TAMPA - Ramon E. Diaz walked into the Tampa Family Health Center clinic on Florida Avenue on Wednesday afternoon, police say, complaining that he was sick and needed medication.

Doctors checked him out, gave him a clean bill of health and refused to give him medication, police say. So Diaz called 911, demanding assistance.

It was the ninth time this month that Diaz called 911 after being refused treatment at the clinic, according to a police report, which gives this account of what happened:

Diaz repeatedly has visited the clinic, at 1514 N. Florida Ave. He thinks the clinic should be doing more for him, and when he doesn't get what he wants he calls 911, demanding help. He is so mean, the report states, that he scares the staff and was issued a trespass warning on June 16.

Wednesday afternoon he returned to the clinic. When he didn't get the medications he wanted, he went to a nearby Salvation Army location and had someone there call 911 to report that Diaz had trouble breathing, according to Tampa Fire Rescue spokesman Capt. Bill Wade.

This time he was arrested and charged with making false 911 calls and trespassing.

"The defendant's actions caused Tampa Fire Rescue and paramedics, Tampa Police officers to respond to aid the defendant for no reason whatsoever," Officer John Pohl wrote in a report. "Upon a lawful search, the defendant had plenty of medication on his possession."

Tampa Fire Rescue Capt. Curtis Terrell responded to the Salvation Army site, and after checking out Diaz, explained to him that the firetrucks and ambulances responding to him might be needed elsewhere and that emergency personnel were risking injury every time they responded, Wade said.

It was not Terrell's first encounter with Diaz, Wade said.

Terrell had responded to his calls before and warned him not to call again.

"Apparently Mr. Diaz continued not to appreciate the situation, and he was arrested," Wade said.

Diaz, of 6220 Nebraska Ave. N., is being held at Falkenburg Road Jail. Bail was set at $1,000, according to jail records.

Reporter Howard Altman can be reached at (813) 259-7629 or haltman@tampatrib.com

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