San Antonio Couple's 911 Fantasy Brings the Police Out in Force
From the fact-is-stranger-than-fiction file: A San Antonio couple allegedly called 911 last week and simulated a sexual assault on an open telephone line to "gratify their fantasy."
The result: Forty police department employees -- including 30 officers and the helicopter squad -- spent 90 minutes one morning searching for a rape-in-progress. The 911 call, said San Antonio Police Department spokesman Sgt. Gabe Trevino, was very graphic. "Somebody was saying 'do you want me to rape you?' over and over. It was very aggressive and demeaning toward the female," he said.
Police fanned out based on the signal transmitted from a cell phone tower. They then pinpointed an address for the owner of the cell phone number. All the while, one 911 dispatcher was monitoring the call, and another dispatcher was sending patrol cars to various locations. Officers found a woman, who told them the phone belonged to her daughter, who was probably at the home of her boyfriend. They found the man's house shortly after the 42-minute call ended, Trevino said.
The couple initially denied they had called 911, but the number was logged in the cell phone. "They admitted they did it for a sexual fantasy," Trevino said. "They didn't realize we would react the way we did."
Belinda Moreno Elizondo, 27, and Fernando Hernandez Jr., 33, were arrested and charged with making a false report, a misdemeanor.
The incident cost the police department a sizable sum. "Officers are paid on the range of $25 to $35 an hour, times 30, and the fuel for the helicopter and the patrol cars and the clerks and dispatchers. . . . Just figure it out," Trevino said.
-- Sylvia Moreno
Schwarzenegger Struggles To Terminate Plastic Likeness
A little doll keeps tormenting California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The bobblehead toy depicts him in a business suit, armed with an assault weapon and a belt of bullets. It became a hot seller when an Ohio company introduced it after his election last year. But Schwarzenegger objected.
Attorneys for his entertainment company said the doll, which was priced at about $20, was an unfair use of his image. They sued to stop production of the toy last spring.
A few weeks ago, the two sides compromised: The toy company agreed to stop making the old doll and to create a new one featuring a likeness of the former action-film star without weapons or ammunition. The company also agreed to donate proceeds from sales of the new doll to a national after-school program Schwarzenegger founded. But that was not the end.
Now, the old bobblehead doll keeps popping up on eBay, the online auction site and retailer. Schwarzenegger apparently is not happy.
Officials at eBay say the governor's representatives have asked that sales listings of the doll be removed from the Internet marketplace. The company says it is examining the issue.
Even if he wins that round, Schwarzenegger may face another bobblehead battle, this time with entrepreneurs trying to cash in on the crack the governor made recently about state lawmakers. He called them "girlie men.'' A Schwarzenegger doll in a dress soon may be on the market.
