911 Call Didn't Bring Police To Md. Murder Scene
CUMBERLAND, Md. (AP) -- Allegany County's 911 Division says it's changing its procedures after a dispatcher failed to send police to a murder scene after taking a call from a concerned neighbor.
The Cumberland Times-News reported Friday on the Sept. 5 call from a neighbor of Lisa Ann Simmons.
Simmons' body was found 11 weeks later after her boyfriend, Stephen Schleuniger, confessed to the crime and directed police to her remains.
The caller described loud banging and screams coming from Simmons' house. He later told the dispatcher to "forget it" because he feared his identity would become known.
911 Division Chief Roger Bennett says the dispatcher followed protocol by not sending police to the home. But Bennett says in the future, police will be sent out regardless of the caller's wishes.
(Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
