DIXFIELD – An 8-year-old who dialed 911 on Wednesday wasn’t in need of any help. The child apparently just wanted to make someone laugh.
Police Chief Richard Pickett said the child, who lives in Carthage, dialed Oxford County dispatch from a pay phone at TW Kelly Dirigo Middle School in Dixfield, where the child was apparently watching a basketball game accompanied by a parent.
But instead of reporting an emergency, the child shared a joke with dispatchers. “I believe the child did tell them a joke,” Pickett said. “It was done, apparently, without the knowledge of the parent.”
A 911 dispatcher said he did not know the nature of the joke.
Police Officer Eric Bernier, who responded to the call, spoke to the child and the parent at the school, Pickett said.
“He spoke to the child about the seriousness of the matter and not using the phone for the purpose of dialing 911 and telling a joke,” he said.
Pickett did not disclose the child’s gender.
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