A Chicago woman wiped tears from her eyes after pleading guilty Thursday to making a false 911 call reporting that a man had fallen into the frigid waters of Lake Michigan near Rogers Beach two years ago.
The Coast Guard dispatched rescue vehicles, including a helicopter, and a Chicago Police Department diver went into the water near where Leona Chewning said she saw a man go into the water in February 2013, federal prosecutors said. The rescue effort cost at least $13,613, prosecutors said.
In answers to questions from U.S. District Judge Charles Norgle, Chewning acknowledged she was pleading guilty because she was in fact guilty, but she later denied to a Tribune reporter that she ever called 911 as part of a hoax.
Identifying herself as a Phoenix Military Academy graduate who spent four years in the U.S. Army Reserves, Chewning said outside the courtroom that she went for a walk that night after arguing with her husband. She spotted a man on a ledge along the lakefront and then suddenly didn't see him anymore, she said, so she called 911.
"I said that it looked like he was leaning far over and it's the middle of the winter and I asked the police to come out and do their job for the well-being of the person - that's all," said Chewning, who said she was shocked when charges were filed against her.
"It's like you can't even make a phone call ... I was simply trying to help someone who looked suicidal," she said.
Prosecutors said Chewning admitted to police knowing that her distress call was false, but she claimed to the Tribune she finally told police whatever they were saying was true after being repeatedly questioned about the incident.
Chewning, 24, a cashier at a Subway restaurant, said she pleaded guilty to avoid a potential six-year prison sentence if she had gone to trial and was found guilty.
Under federal sentencing guidelines, Chewning, who pleaded guilty to one count of communicating a false distress message, faces four to 10 months in prison at her sentencing April 22. She also must pay restitution of $13,613.
She was on probation at the time of the hoax for a 2012 conviction for forgery and theft in Cook County, according to her plea agreement.
Authorities said false rescue calls are costly and risky for first responders.
"False distress calls like this one tie up valuable assets and put our crews at risk since we take every distress call seriously," said Capt. Nicholas Bartolotta, chief of response for the 9th Coast Guard District, in a statement. "They impede the ability of first responders like the Coast Guard and our partners to respond to real distress where lives may be on the line. We want to make sure people know the dangers and consequences of knowingly making a hoax call."
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