Family sues Ottawa County dispatchers over handling of 911 call before murder
SPRING LAKE — The family of a man killed by his son has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Ottawa County dispatchers, saying they were negligent when no deputies rushed to the house after an initial 911 call the day of the murder.
More:Victim's son arrested in Spring Lake murder
The 27-page suit names the Ottawa County Central Dispatch Authority and seven dispatchers as the defendants. It alleges they violated James Boone’s right to due process and that the dispatch authority failed to properly train and supervise its dispatchers — in addition to gross negligence by the dispatchers, intentional infliction of emotional distress and wrongful death. It seeks more than $25,000 in damages.
James Boone, 64, was bludgeoned and stabbed to death by his adult son, Kenneth Boone, on Dec. 1, 2019. Dispatchers first took a call from the Boone household near Spring Lake around 6:15 a.m. that day. Kenneth called to say he was “not feeling safe with my dad right now,” and saying, “come arrest me,” a transcript of the call included in the lawsuit showed.
Kenneth said his father was threatening him, but James told dispatchers his son had actually threatened him.
“Ma’am, he’s threatening me. Will you hurry up?” the transcript records James saying.
He explained to dispatchers that his son had been prescribed medication to manage mental illness but had stopped taking it. He said his son had called 911 “because he knows that he could do something bad to me.”
At the time of the first call, no one had been hurt.
The suit alleges that a dispatcher twice told James she was sending officers to the home. But no one was ever sent.
The Ottawa County Central Dispatch Authority previously told WOOD TV-8 a call was entered into the system as a Priority 2 and not immediately responded to because no deputies were available — they were all busy on another death investigation, a drunken driving case and weather-related traffic problems.
Had the report been listed as Priority 1, dispatchers would have reached out to the sheriff’s office to ask for guidance.
At 7:24 a.m. — a little more than an hour after the first call — Kenneth called 911 again.
“I (expletive) killed my dad,” the transcript reads. When asked how, he replied, “A (expletive) hammer.”
Kenneth was arrested as he walked down the road near his home, covered in blood, still carrying the hammer.
James was found beaten to death in the home. The lawsuit claims the assault was so violent he was “unrecognizable.” An autopsy report included in the suit listed multiple blunt force wounds to the head and 22 stab or sharp force wounds to the torso and pelvic area.
In September 2021, Kenneth pleaded guilty but mentally ill to first-degree murder. He was sentenced to life in prison. He died Nov. 21, 2022, after suffering a medical episode, the Michigan Department of Corrections says.
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The dispatch authority told WOOD TV-8 in 2019 that four employees could face discipline and the agency was considering protocol changes about contacting the sheriff’s department directly if no one responded to a call after a certain amount of time. The media outlet hasn't been told whether any discipline was issued or any policy changes enacted.
The suit was initially filed in Ottawa County Circuit Court in November but moved to federal court because it includes accused violations of constitutional rights. It was filed in federal court Thursday, Jan. 5.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Family sues Ottawa County dispatchers over handling of 911 call before murder
