Interfering with an emergency call in Wagoner, Oklahoma is a little-known, but serious crime.
When a person calls for emergency services of any kind, the situation is dire. Most states have passed laws to protect persons needing emergency services from those persons abusing, battering, stalking, or harming them.
Oklahoma’s law is designed to prevent another person from interfering with an emergency call once someone reaches out for help. Okla. Stat. tit. 21 § 1211.1
Controlling the Victim
While this situation often arises in domestic abuse, that is not the only situation in which the crime occurs. By yanking a phone out of a wall, stomping on a cell phone, cutting a phone line, or restraining a victim after a victim has tried to call for help, the perpetrator continues to control the victim and protects themselves from the arrival of police or other authorities — at least for the moment.
Unfortunately, this often causes more grief for everyone in the long run — the victim is traumatized further and the perpetrator ends up in jail for interfering with an emergency call.
Penalties for Interfering with an Emergency Call
If convicted of the crime, you could face up to one year in jail, a fine of up to $3,000, or both.
Although interfering with an emergency call is a misdemeanor, it often accompanies more serious charges, such as a domestic assault and battery charge, adding further jail time.
In Oklahoma, assault and battery can be charged either as a felony or as a misdemeanor depending upon the circumstances. Okla. Stat. tit. 21 § 642
If you commit the crime of domestic abuse in Wagoner and the prosecution can prove you have a prior pattern of physical abuse, the crime can be charged as a felony. This is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $5,000, or both. Okla. Stat. tit. 21 § 644.1
Initial Strategy Session: Wagoner Criminal Defense Attorney
If you are accused of interfering with an emergency call in Oklahoma, talk to an experienced Wagoner criminal defense attorney as soon as possible. Do not wait and do not speak to the police. Remember that everything that you say to them can and will be used against you.
For a low-cost consultation, call Wirth Law Office – Wagoner at 918-485-0335.
As always, you have the option to enter a legal question in the form at the top right of this page.
