MIDDLETOWN–Police arrested a woman who called 911 to report an incident that never happened.
Around 9:40 p.m. on September 7, police responded to the Los Primos grocery store on Main Street in Middletown after a 911 caller said a “tall black male wearing black shorts and a gray t-shirt” was assaulting a “black female dressed in a pink shirt.” The caller said the incident was occurring in front of the store.
Police rushed to the scene and detained a man fitting the description.
Then, police reviewed the surveillance video from the store of the time period in which this assault allegedly occurred, and did see a man and woman with those descriptions talking, but there was no physical interaction or fight.
The man who was detained was let free, and told officers that he was in front of Los Primos talking to his ex-girlfriend, but he “didn’t hit or her or nothing like that.” He also said he was on probation.
Police contacted the 911 caller, Cherina Watson, 31, by phone and asked her about the alleged assault. The officer said surveillance video didn’t back up her story. At that point she recanted and said her ex-boyfriend owed her $20 and she was upset so she called 911 to get him in trouble, knowing he was on probation.
She was charged with misuse of emergency 911 system, and will be in court September 20.
