Legal News

More cell phone users may want to put a lock on their phones to prevent the dreaded social faux pas of "butt dialing." For those of you who don't know, a butt dial is when you accidentally dial the person you spoke to last from a cell phone that is in your pocket.

While it may be considered a harmless faux pas, albeit embarrassing, for one Illinois man it brought a whole SWAT team in for a false alarm. MSNBC.com reports that a wife who was accidentally butt dialed by her husband overheard a hip hop song that he was listening to and called 911 when he failed to respond.

According to the Chicago Tribune, the butt dial worried the wife to the point that she thought that her husband was being held hostage. "The conversation led her to believe there was someone holding him hostage," Winnetka Police Chief Joseph De Lopez told the Chicago Tribune. 

As a result of the frantic 911 call placed by the wife, SWAT team members circled the school that the man worked in around 5 pm to search for an alleged gunman holding him hostage. It was only after three hours of searching that the all clear signal was called after authorities found the man safe at home.

While there is no exact estimate on the resources that were spent on this particular wild goose chase, Winnetka Police Chief De Lopez said that there will be no charges since the married couple did not intend to deceive police. While the couple in this instance is lucky to escape charges, individuals should be aware that other municipalities such as New York City will start to charge for certain 911 calls such as a car fire or accident on July 1, 2011.

Related Resources:

• Butt-Dial Leads To SWAT Team Response In Winnetka (Huffington Post)
• Status Update: If No 911, do We Facebook in an Emergency? (FindLaw's Legal Grounds Blog)
• Man Fakes 911 Call For Quicker Response To Car Theft (FindLaw's Chicago Criminal Law Blog)