CBS Seattle JOSEPHINE COUNTY, Ore. (CBS Seattle) — An Oregon woman was told by a 911 dispatcher that authorities wouldn’t be able be able to help her as her ex-boyfriend broke into her place because of budget cuts.
Oregon Public Radio reports that an unidentified woman called 911 during a weekend in August 2012 while Michael Bellah was breaking into her place. Her call was forwarded to Oregon State Police because of lay-offs at the Josephine County Sheriff’s Office only allows the department to be open Monday through Friday.
“Uh, I don’t have anybody to send out there,” the 911 dispatcher told the woman. “You know, obviously, if he comes inside the residence and assaults you, can you ask him to go away? Do you know if he’s intoxicated or anything?”
The woman told the dispatcher that Bellah previously attacked her and left her hospitalized a few weeks prior to the latest incident. The dispatcher stayed on the phone with the woman for more than 10 minutes before the sexual assault took place.
“Once again it’s unfortunate you guys don’t have any law enforcement out there,” the dispatcher said, according to Oregon Public Radio.
The woman responded: “Yeah, it doesn’t matter, if he gets in the house I’m done.”
Police say Bellah choked the woman and sexually assaulted her. He was arrested by Oregon State Police following the incident.
“There isn’t a day that goes by that we don’t have another victim,” Josephine County Sheriff Gil Gilberson told Oregon Public Radio. “If you don’t pay the bill, you don’t get the service.”
The sheriff’s department had to cut 23 deputies and the entire major crimes unit after it lost a multi-million dollar federal subsidy, according to Oregon Public Radio. There are now only six deputies left.
The sheriff’s department even put out a press release warning domestic violence victims to “consider relocating to an area with adequate law enforcement services.”
Bellah pleaded guilty to kidnapping, sex abuse and assault.
Anyone still foolish enough to believe that police officers are heroes who love and care about them are idiots. I have never lived out west, but from what I’ve heard, having a gun is as essential as having food and water. Things could have turned out a whole lot differently if this woman had invested in a gun and took the time to learn how to use it. I can see it now, when the dollar collapses and martial is declared all across the USA, millions of sheeple that have the same intelligence level as a bag of rocks will be whipping out their cell phones to call 911 for help. The only thing they will be doing is exposing their location to the mercenaries rounding up the fools for the FEMA camps.
The woman should have had a large caliber hand gun and used it to dispatch the perp.
Budget cuts? Funnny…how much did those pathetic f#$%s send to Egypt again? I notice they blamed the fact that the school in Oklahoma had no tornado shelter on budget cuts too.