** Irish ambulance hoax callers removing phone SIM cards to prevent police traces
** Kentucky pair charged after paramedic’s body found in car
UNITED KINGDOM NEWS
** Hoax ambulance callers in Kerry, Ireland are getting smarter, with some removing their phone SIM cards to prevent bogus help hails from being traced. That is the word from the Irish Examiner (Donal Hickey/September 23) which said the fakers are driving EMS brass to distraction. According to the newspapers, 15 false call-outs have been counted so far in the county this year. Independent TD Tom Fleming said the trend is worrying and could cost patient lives. Fleming said the ambulance service is already dealing with restructuring and the unnecessary calls put added strain on medics.
UNITED STATES NEWS
** A Louisville, Kentucky man appeared in court Friday on charges he abused the corpse of a paramedic who died of a drug overdose. WLKY (September 20) said Thomas Bronnenburg, 46, is also tagged with tampering with evidence. According to the news station, the charges relate to the death of medic Chris Pickerell, 39, who died September 7th. WAVE (Josh Coffman/September 19) said Bronnenburg allegedly dragged Pickerell’s body to his car from a home. He then had Jessica Whann, 31, drive the vehicle to a separate location where the body was found September 10th. Pickerell’s wallet, IPhone, and car keys were missing from the scene. Along with Bronnenburg, Whann has also been charged in the incident. Additionally, she faces drug possession allegations dating back to August. Pickerell leaves a wife and daughter behind. At the time of his death, he had been working with Scott County EMS for around 3 months.
