Deputies: Man called 911 twice because he couldn't visit son in detox

Norman Whitney

An 83-year-old Golden Gate man is accused of misusing 911 by twice dialing deputies because he could not visit his son in a detox facility.

Around 6:45 p.m. Monday, an employee at the David Lawrence Center called the Collier County Sheriff's Office and said a man named Norman E. Whitney was harassing and being aggressive with the staff. Whitney, who had dropped his son off for treatment days earlier, became angry after he was told that he could not visit his son, according to an arrest report.

Emergency dispatchers said Whitney called twice to complain about the staff and did not have a true emergency. A deputy who met him at the center said Whitney was talking about Al Qaeda killing Americans and how he thought his son would be killed at the center, according to the arrest report.

Whitney, of the 5400 block of 27th Place Southwest, was taken to the Naples Jail Center, where he faces a misdemeanor charge of misuse of a 911 system.