A Florida woman found out the hard way that 911 does not arrange Uber rides
Tips for using Uber, the ride sharing app:
Download the app to your phone. Load your payment information. Tap it to summon a ride.
Easy, right?
But for one Riviera Beach woman, hailing Uber turned into a complicated mess — for her.
According to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, Emma Lee Powell, 32, misused the 911 emergency system on Tuesday when she called police to ask them to help her “arrange an Uber ride,” CBS12 reported.
While she was waiting, she flagged down a passing squad car in Boca Raton to help her request an Uber.
The officers obliged and that might have been that.
But when she called 911 again from inside the Uber driver’s car to ask for water, officers had had enough.
She was arrested, booked into Palm Beach County Jail, and charged with misusing the 911 system — a public order crime, according to the booking report.
She was released on her own recognizance.
According to Florida statutes, misusing the 911 system is a misdemeanor that can result in a year in prison and/or a fine of $1,000. Do so four times and it’s a felony.
