Man Makes 10 Nuisance 911 Calls, Then Fakes Seizure: Cops

FRANKFORT, IL — A Frankfort man was arrested last week by Will County sheriff's deputies who accused him of drunkenly calling 911 without an emergency, refusing to hang up and then claiming he would fake a seizure once in custody before allegedly doing so. Dan J. Ortiz, 36, of the 7600 block of West Roeland Court, was charged with 10 counts of disorderly conduct and two counts of resisting a police officer, as well as individual counts of aggravated battery and criminal damage to state property, according to the Will County Sheriff's Office.

The incident began after Ortiz called 911 at around 9:48 p.m. April 11 to report three women who he believed were in Frankfort Square Elementary School improperly, and he allegedly was yelling at them and not allowing them to leave the building, sheriff's spokewoman Kathy Hoffmeyer said. When officers arrived at the school, they discovered that the women were actually the school's cleaning staff, Hoffmeyer said.

Ortiz was then asked by the deputies to leave school grounds. He did so, but he was angry with having to leave, Hoffmeyer said.

When he returned home, which is less than a mile from the school, Ortiz allegedly began calling 911 between just after 9:48 p.m. until around 10:25 p.m., according to Hoffmeyer. In that span of time, he allegedly made 10 non-emergency 911 calls — Hoffmeyer was unsure of the exact details of the calls — and refused to get off the line each time.

Deputies finally were sent to Ortiz's house, and he was still on the line with the 911 dispatcher once they arrived. When deputies told him he was being taken into custody for disorderly conduct because of the calls, Ortiz became "very physical," and he appeared to be intoxicated, Hoffmeyer said. He allegedly kicked one of the deputies in the left calf, but the deputy wasn't hurt, she added.

While in the squad car, Ortiz began kicking the window, damaging the vehicle, according to Hoffmeyer. Deputies eventually were forced to resecure him in the car because of his thrashing.

According to Hoffmeyer, Ortiz told deputies he was going to fake a seizure while in custody. That's when he began shaking in the back of the car, and deputies called Frankfort Fire District paramedics to take Ortiz to Olympia Fields Hospital, Hoffmeyer added.

Doctors at the hospital medically cleared Ortiz, and he was finally taken to Will County Jail, Hoffmeyer said. He was ordered held on $7,500 bail and later released on bond April 12, according to Will County Sheriff's Office records.

Dan Ortiz (Photo via Will County Sheriff's Office)