Woman Who Called 911 for Cigarettes Apologizes

Linda White says she learned that when you call 911, "they don't deliver — they pick up"

A Texas woman who was arrested after calling 911 to ask for cigarettes now admits it was a frivolous request and says she regrets it.

Linda White, 48, of Granbury, Texas, called 911 at about 1 a.m. on Feb. 11 and asked deputies to make a delivery.

"I need some cigarettes," she said in a recording of the call.

On Tuesday, she apologized and tried to explain.

"We were just kicking it in the back yard — a few beers too many," she said. "Next thing you know, we're out of cigarettes. Well, I didn't want to drive to town. ... I was drunk, you know, but in my back yard.

"Who's the safest person to call?" she asked. "Your police department, I thought."

Drunk or not, the sheriff's office said 911 is reserved for emergencies.

"A call for deputies to bring cigarettes to the resident is not an emergency call," Hood County Chief Deputy Biff Temple said.

Two deputies responded and found White and her boyfriend, Gary Roberts.

"I just saw bright lights and knew," White said.

Roberts said he knew White was in trouble.

"I knew, because I told her, 'Somebody is fixing to go to jail,'" he said.

White was booked on a charge of abusing 911, a misdemeanor punishable by up to a $2,000 fine and 180 days in jail.

She was released on bond about six hours later, she said.

"I am deeply sorry for what I did," she said in an interview outside her home. "I'm embarrassed. It's not me.

"It is kind of funny," she said laughing.

White added that she learned the hard way not to call 911 with a frivolous request.

"They don't deliver — they pick up," she said.

Listen to the 911 call (Warning: explicit language):

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