Regina woman who called 911 after mom cut Wi-Fi says police tweet doesn't tell whole story
A 23-year-old Regina woman who called 911 after her mother cut off their home’s Wi-Fi connection, said a tweet from a local police officer who responded to the call does not tell the whole story.
On Tuesday, Regina police Cst. Mike Seel, joked about the call on Twitter — saying he had responded to a call "where a 23-year-old called the cops on their mom, who they live with rent-free, for turning off the wifi because they wouldn't do chores."
Seel said the woman was "told to leave" if she didn't like it.
The woman, who asked to be referred to as Lee, said that was exactly what she was trying to do.
“I felt like the tweet was misleading, it was claimed that I had called an emergency in because the Wi-Fi had gotten cut off and I guess if you want to strip it of its details that’s what it looks like,” she said.
According to Lee, the internet connection was abruptly axed as she was in the process of setting up an interview with a potential landlord, and she called 911 in a moment of panic during a fraught, anxious situation.
“So she [mom] cuts off the Wi-Fi and I asked her how she expects me to move out if I can’t communicate," she said, explaining that the situation was escalating.
Lee was aware that her call was not an emergency situation.
“The [911] dispatcher asked if it was an emergency and I explicitly told her 'no' and that I am just unsure of what to do,” Lee said.
Lee said the dispatchers were easy to deal with.
“They were excellent, they determined that it wasn’t an emergency so I was given the administration line and [the dispatcher] told me to write it down so that’s what I did and I was told that responders would be there to assist me.”
According to Lee, she prefaced the call by saying she didn’t know what kind of help she needed right now.
Lee said she finds her current living situation difficult and she has been under a lot of pressure.
She explained she wasn't living "rent-free" as Seel said and is also a new university student who is currently employed. Lee said she also recently earned her GED.
In reality, she said she has been helping her family out with the challenges they are facing while also recovering from her own addictions issues for the past two years.
She said she felt humiliated when she learned one of the responding police officers tweeted publicly about the situation even though her name and address were not shared.
In an email to CTV News, Regina Police Service (RPS) said the purpose of its, "ancillary Twitter accounts is to provide interesting alternatives for informing and educating the public and also for engagement directly from the subject matter experts themselves."
RPS said "human interest topics" are part of its engagement strategy.
"But always in these instances, efforts are made to de-identify the subjects. In keeping with these efforts, we will not provide further comment,” RPS said.
Since the incident, Lee said she is no longer living with her mother and is lucky enough to have co-workers that have taken her in for the time being.
“Right now I’m being supported by my amazing co-workers. I have a great job filled with amazing people and I’ve been able to connect with them, a lot of them have been in similar situations.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
BREAKING Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
The Body Shop Canada explores sale as demand outpaces inventory: court filing
The Body Shop Canada is exploring a sale as it struggles to get its hands on enough inventory to keep up with "robust" sales after announcing it would file for creditor protection and close 33 stores.
Vicious attack on a dog ends with charges for northern Ont. suspect
Police in Sault Ste. Marie charged a 22-year-old man with animal cruelty following an attack on a dog Thursday morning.
On federal budget, Macklem says 'fiscal track has not changed significantly'
Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem says Canada's fiscal position has 'not changed significantly' following the release of the federal government's budget.