CO Woman Arrested After 48 Prank 911 Phone Calls

After 48 prank 911 calls, investigators finally caught on that Caryn Sodaro was probably crying wolf.

Sodaro, a volunteer firefighter in Weld County Colorado, was arrested for making 48 phony 911 phone calls to county police dispatchers, according to the The Greeley Tribune. She was arrested following a four month investigation.

Officials say the prank caller used a prepaid mobile phone to make phony suicide and ambulance calls and then listened to the law enforcement responses on one of the department's police radios.

Other times Sodaro reported that her mother had a heart attack and wasn't breathing.

She was arrested on suspicion of attempting to influence a public servant, false reporting and resisting arrest.

According to the affidavits, Sodaro told investigators that she is depressed and thinks of suicide.

With the help of the phone company, investigators were able to trace the prank 911 phone calls to the community of Lochbuie, which is about 18 miles north of Denver.

Investigators documented the 48 911 phone calls that Sodaro is accused of making, including:

Sept. 8: "A female called in, saying she was 16 years old and suicidal and then hung up. She was never located."

Oct. 10: A woman called dispatch to say she was at a gas station in Lochbuie and needed an ambulance. She was not located.

Oct. 17: A woman called dispatch to report that her mother was not breathing and they were driving on Colo. 52 near Hudson. She said her name was Abby.

Nov. 3: A female caller said she was in a church parking lot in Firestone "to blow her head off, and if she can't do it before the police get there, she is going to make them do it for her." She was never located.

During questioning, Sodaro said she was aware police were trying to track the phone, and that's why she recently bought a new one. She also said she shut off her phone at night so it couldn't be tracked to her home.

Fire officials said Sodaro was suspended from the fire department but was a volunteer for more than three years.

• Colorado woman accused of making 48 false 911 calls (Denver Post)
• Man fined $45K over false distress call  (NavyTimes)
• False 911 calls are alarmingly common  (Milwaukee Wisconsin Journal Sentinel)