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
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.