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Bills Coming in for Hoax 911 Call

Rich Egger

It cost a pretty penny for police to respond to what proved to be a hoax 911 call in Macomb on March 6.

Bills submitted to the McDonough County State’s Attorney’s office show Illinois State Police spent $7,868.41, which includes the cost of a tactical response team. Macomb police submitted a bill of $2,406.55, and the Office of Public Safety at Western Illinois University submitted a bill of $1,384.56.

That adds up to a total of $11,659.52, and the figure will rise once the McDonough County Sheriff’s Department submits its bill.

(Editor's note: on March 27 the sheriff's department said its bill came out to $1,032.39, which brings the total to $12,691.91).

Police have said they might seek restitution from those convicted in the case.

Alvin Montgomery, 25, was arrested one day after the incident and charged with disorderly conduct, making a false 911 call, and attempted obstruction of justice.

Police are still searching for the woman who voice they heard on the 911 call. Macomb police have declined to make public the recording of that call because their investigation is continuing.

Alvin Montgomery

Police were called to the home at 509 West Murray St by a woman who told dispatchers there was a man with a gun. The man could be heard in the background asking if she was calling police. The line then went dead.

Police surrounded the house, and eventually the tactical response team was called in. That team sent robots through the house and found no one inside.

Police were on the scene for roughly five hours.

Rich is TSPR's News Director.