Man Called Cops 98 Times To Get Drug Money Back: Police

CLEARWATER, FL — A Clearwater man whose cash was seized during a January drug bust evidently wanted it back. So much so, police say he placed 98 calls to them in a single day to make the request.

Michael Mott’s July 10 demands weren't met, police said. Instead, the 24-year-old found himself behind bars again, this time facing a charge for making harassing phone calls.

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Clearwater Police Department spokesman Rob Shaw said Mott was savvy enough to not make the calls directly to 911, which can carry jail time and a fine up to $1,000 as a first-degree misdemeanor. He did, however, call the agency’s non-emergency line – from two different phones – 98 times, police said.

“He even made a couple of calls in front of an officer,” the agency reported on Facebook. As for the charge, the police department explained that Mott’s alleged decision to repeatedly ask for his cash back “tied up valuable resources and telephone lines that are meant to help Clearwater citizens in need.”

Harassing telephone calls are considered a second-degree misdemeanor in Florida. They carry the potential for jail time and up to a $500 fine.

The cash Mott allegedly wanted back so badly was taken by police when Mott was arrested at the Knights Inn on U.S. 19 in January, Shaw said. Pinellas County Jail records indicate Mott was booked into the accommodations on Jan. 7 after an arrest by Clearwater police. He was released on his own recognizance after being charged with possession of marijuana with intent to sell, possession of cocaine with intent to sell and attempted sale and delivery of cocaine. The case is still working its way through the Pinellas County court system, county records indicate.

As for the latest arrest, Mott remained in the Pinellas County Jail Tuesday afternoon in lieu of $250 bond, jail records show. He was processed just after 6 p.m. Monday.

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Booking photo courtesy of the Clearwater Police Department