LITTLE RIVER, SC (WBTW)- One man in Little River tells News 13 he called 9-1-1, but the dispatcher hung up and never called back.
Beau Nestor said he believed he saw someone trying to break into an apartment across from his home. So he dialed 9-1-1.
“Dispatch: ok, what’s the address?
Caller: I don’t know the address but my address is 4497 Baker Street, Little River and it’s River Gate Lane, but I don’t know the house numbers.”
The call ends and Nestor said he never got a call back and police never came.
“12 hours later I had to tell them a phone call was dropped they had no idea. None whatsoever,” said Nestor.
Renee Hardwick, the Director of Horry County 9-1-1, said the call taker may have thought the call ended, but doesn’t know why they didn’t call back.
“If we get hang up calls we’re supposed to call back and if we have any reason to believe there’s a problem we need to send someone to them as long as we have a location information,” said Hardwick.
She said it was not a system or technical problem but a personnel problem
“It was an isolated incident where it became a personnel matter and was addressed as a personnel matter. It’s not something that happens frequently,” said Hardwick.
News 13 asked how many times something like this has happened.
“We don’t track it but all of our phone lines are recorded so we’re able to listen to everything as it happens,” said Hardwick.
Hardwick said that gives them the ability to know for sure what happened when an issue arises.
“It needs to be openly accounted for, we lost this much. This many calls,” said Nestor.
Nestor said he doesn’t feel like 9-1-1 is reliable.
“Saddened that the people of this community really don’t have the service that they think they do,” said Nestor.
News 13 asked what, if any, disciplinary action was taken, and if the employee was still working with Horry County 9-1-1. Renee Hardwick said she did not want to discuss personnel matters.
