Gainesville man charged with unauthorized use of 911 after deputies reportedly told him to use the non-emergency number
Staff report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Michael David Meadows, 64, was arrested last night and charged with unauthorized use of 911 services and methamphetamine possession after he allegedly called 911 to report that deputies were harassing his brother after deputies told him he could call the non-emergency number but would be arrested if he called 911.
At about 8:16 p.m. on August 23, an Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy responded to a request for backup at a traffic stop in the Holly Heights area. During the traffic stop, Meadows reportedly became upset and said deputies were harassing his brother, so he started recording a video of the deputies. A deputy reported that Meadows’ brother asked him to call 911 and report that he was being harassed by deputies, and multiple deputies reportedly warned both men that if they called 911 for an incident that was not an emergency, they would be arrested for misuse of 911 services.
Meadows allegedly went inside his apartment and called 911. The arresting deputy reported that the Combined Communications Center provided her with audio from the call, which lasted 9 minutes and 18 seconds; during the call, Meadows could reportedly be heard saying, “They told me if I call y’all, the police, they’re going to take me to jail.”
Meadows was arrested for unauthorized use of 911 services; a search incident to arrest reportedly produced 0.45 grams of methamphetamine in his pocket, and he was also charged with possession of a controlled substance without a prescription.
Meadows’ court records date back to 1982, and he has at least 25 misdemeanor convictions and 11 felony convictions, with the most recent in 2009; he has served three state prison sentences, with his most recent release in 2003. Judge Sean Brewer set bail at $10,000.
Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Someone with 36 criminal convictions is usually not the sharpest knife in the drawer.
Hmmm.. don’t we have someone running for president with about the same?
Yep the Kamal is right there with him.
Yep, Biden (Dementia), Harris (Just Dumb as Biden but no medical excuse), Clinton (the Human Humidor Inventor), Obama (the puppet), Gore (self proclaimed internet inventor) just to name a few. But hey instead of presidential plans and a list of policies you got hope and joy so says Mike Obama and crazy eyed seizure Hillary. But jeep believing the finger painting instead if your lying eyes Queffy.
Proper punctuation is imperative!!!
The guy stayed out of trouble for 21 years, gets harassed by law enforcement, calls for help, and gets arrested… I guess you don’t know that there’s some bad cops and they lie to cover their asses…I know for a fact! I would love to see his video!!!! I hope he calls Robert Rush!
You are assumed innocent until proven guilty too‼️
Tape doesn’t lie. I am sure there is body cam and in car camera as well as 911 tapes proving he did what he was arrested for. How many cops have been perceived guilty before a trail set them free only to have their careers ruined by the court of public opinion. Suppose to work both ways. But hey don’t believe what your lying eyes and ears communicate to you.
Ask for a copy of the tape. Everything is recorded now since Georgie took a dive. I am sure that Sheriff Gainey would accommodate you. Just don’t go away mad. Remember Hope and Joy. It’s all you got.
Now thats pretty funny. I don’t think Mikey can afford him with the his meth habit.
They did warn him
Multiple deputies harassing and threatening arrest for calling 911. I can see how the victims of harassment and threats could honestly consider this an emergency situation.
Yes, guys with guns telling you not to call 911, but the other # goes to the same place. This is all colored by the state. The victim was the guy who got arrested…this is so wrong. Victim or the crime?
Did they arrest the brother that was being harassed, or only the brother who called 911 because of the crisis?
Were they brothers? Nutty must run in the family then.
This is total BS. They should have not arrested the guy for calling 911. Who can remember that non emergency
#? Do you know it off the top of your head? I called 911 because some guy was trying to break in to my house and called 911 and was on the phone with the operator for 20 min and the cops never came. Fruit of the poisonous tree. There was no PC to search the guy for calling 911…
I think those cops need to be trained for cultural sensitivity..
I support law enforcement, but sometimes they can be wrong. This time was one of them. Sorry if you don’t like what I’m saying…the guy even looks earnest in his mug shot.
These charges will be dropped.
They may be down the road,but in mean time, he sits in jail waiting for his day in court which could be months down the road. I doubt he has money an collateral for bond. Cops, given the chance will always take the low hanging fruit.
Queff, have the 31 time meth breathing convict stay with you. Go bail him out. I guess not. Your liberal motto is “Not with my money.”
Bear: nothing worse than lieing crooked cops with a corrupt system. No charges will be filed.
If they do, then this is an abuse of the system.
Apparently he had money for meth. Cry me a river.
A bad cop is way worse than a guy who has drugs for personal consumption who should be safe from unreasonable search as per the 4th Amendment. Bad cops are the worst!
Learn the law Shrem. Search incident to arrest for misuse of 911 Services,maybe you are not the sharpest knife in your family drawer. Dont like the law vote to change it.
I hate this situation, being arrested for calling 911. I hate warning somebody not to call 911. The guy was living wrong with drugs and stuff, but I hate this.
Not total BS and kudos to the deputies! They absolutely should have arrested him. He was warned to NOT break the law and he blatantly broke the law.
Do you realize there are a set number of actual 911 phone lines available? Yup…that phone has to be able to ring. If this guy is calling 911 to complain, then that is one line down. I pray when an actual emergency comes in, that person won’t get a busy signal.
Did you know the same people that answer 911 calls also answer the non-emergency line? Yup…all roads lead to Rome…just need to keep the lines open for true EMERGENCIES!
I agree not everyone remembers the non-emergency number BUT I am pretty sure all of those deputies would have been able to give him the number had he been willing to listen to them about NOT calling 911.
He was not being harassed. No one needs cultural sensitivity training based on this article. They were pulled over for a traffic stop. Who did he think was going to show up to help him? He is literally calling the people that are with him.
This isn’t on the deputies. There should be national PSA’s about how it works behind the curtain. I remember there was so much outreach and education about “the system” when I grew up. It’s a mystery which causes confusion when you are already distressed.
BS Jane.. it was an emergency to him and that’s a subjective call….its a jury question and I will find him innocent! I have been harassed by law enforcement before. I hope he got the video and sues them… don’t make me change my mind on DEI!
These charges will be dropped…
This was wrong!
The guy has stayed out of trouble for 20 years too,,
Maybe if he wasn’t jacked on meth he could have made better decisions. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.
Sherman…the traffic stop and his arrest are two different things. I don’t know what happened nor does it matter. My point is strictly about making the 911 call. I agree emergencies are subjective. However, he was told he could call about the issue on the non-emergency line. That’s the point where it shifts for me.
It’s a logical, practical, supply & demand with resources equation that has been placed into law, nationwide. Period. Any and everything could have been handled on the non-emergency line.
I bet you will change your mind when you see his video…I can only imagine. It will be embarrassing for law enforcement…this is something that should never have gone this far. The cops allowed it to escalate unnecessarily…remember, he his innocent until proven guilty…
Abdominal you might want to pass on to the butter knife in the drawer. If you are going to screw around with police and do something that they say you are going to be arrested for, it may be a good idea not to have dope in your pocket. That is just stupid.
@jane doe
Was he provided with the non emergency number? Who made the determination that it wasnt an emergency? These two men could have been in fear for their life thus making it an emergency to them, the police cant dictate how those men felt in that moment.
It sounds like a civil rights lawsuit.
Another reason First Responders need a 200% pay raise, the garbage they must put up with.
Thanks to SCUMMY courts and ACLUSPLCDNC politicians giving out Obama phones to every miscreant 👿🤡💩👺👹
This is ridiculous to take someone to jail for calling 911. If he or his brother felt that it was an emergency or they were afraid for their life then it absolutely was an emergency. Why do the deputies get to dictate how he or his brother feels??? That just aint right! They obviously didnt like being recorded nor that he was going to call 911 on them. Isnt that a crime in itself if someone interferes with the calling for help?
I would think being harassed by people who are armed as an emergency..takes more schoolin to be a barber than a LEO, seems retaliatory