Phony 911 call yields nine months in jail

A 20-year-old Indian Hills man who admitted making a false 911 call in an attempt to get his girlfriend in trouble was sentenced Monday to nine months in Douglas County Jail.

Jesse Madore, already serving six months for obstructing an officer, pleaded guilty to misuse of 911, a gross misdemeanor.

He said he made the call because his girlfriend took off with the people in the car.

Deputies pulled over the vehicle after Madore reported the passengers had arrest warrants and there were drugs in the car.

Neither allegation was true.

"This offense is one that fortunately did not do any more harm than cause an inconvenience," said District Judge Michael Gibbons. "What if there had been another call (for deputies)? What if the people in the car had reacted badly. This could have quickly escalated into something much more serious."

Prosecutor Erik Levin said Madore had been in "constant trouble" since he was 13.

Prior charges included battery on an officer, battery with a dangerous weapon, drug and alcohol offenses, failures to appear and absconding from an in-patient treatment center. He was also terminated from Western Regional Drug Court.

"He's a huge flight risk," Levin said. "He's run many times. With seven years in the system, he knows what to say in court."

Madore said he was deeply affected by his brother's death this summer in a vehicle accident.

"I recently decided I want to be a counselor and help kids. I don't want to be here any more. I want to do something good with my life," he said.

Gibbons said he'd seen defendants with criminal records become counselors, but the direction Madore was going, he was going to end up in prison.

"You have to look at this as your last chance," Gibbons said.

He gave Madore credit for 123 days in custody and said his sentence would be concurrent to the six months he's serving from justice court for walking away after he was handcuffed during a domestic battery investigation.