Florida man accused of misusing 911 after false reports of underage drinking

SAN CARLOS PARK, Fla. —

A man is accused of misusing 911 after deputies say he placed numerous 911 calls falsely reporting underage drinking at a San Carlos Park bar early Friday morning.

According to the Lee County Sheriff's Office, deputies received multiple calls throughout the night Thursday, Dec. 25, into the early morning hours of Friday.

The caller, identified as Kevin Samuelson, 41, continuously called the 911 admin line to report underage drinking at Sea Grass Sports Grill at 18911 S. Tamiami Trail, LCSO said. Samuelson told LCSO he wanted to remain anonymous and not be contacted.

According to LCSO, deputies responded to Sea Grass Sports Grill twice due to Samuelson's calls, and both times were informed and confirmed that nobody in the bar was underage and that Samuelson had been kicked out.

Samuelson continued to call 911 and report underage drinking, refusing to give his name and, at times, giving a fake name to LCSO, according to deputies.

After seeing many more calls from Samuelson mentioning the bar, deputies returned to the area to make contact with Samuelson. While approaching the area, deputies noticed a man walking while on the phone, LCSO said.

Deputies approached Samuelson and began talking to him. They noted that he was on the phone with 911 at the time, as they could see it on his phone's display, according to LCSO. Deputies asked Samuelson why he kept calling 911, to which he replied, "There was underage drinking inside the bar," according to LCSO.

Deputies also noted Samuelson smelled strongly of alcohol and that he admitted that he was drunk, LCSO said.

Samuelson was arrested and faces a charge of misuse of 911.

DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV.