Milwaukee 911 delay: Investigation records reveal new details

MILWAUKEE - A 99-year-old Milwaukee woman, beaten and severely injured in her own home, waited hours for help after a delayed 911 response in late July. It prompted an internal investigation at the city's Department of Emergency Communications. Now, FOX6 News has obtained records related to that investigation that reveal new details about what happened.

Call takers identified

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Records show Stephanie Hughes took the first 911 call, and Arriana Cadotte-Merced took the second. FOX6 reached out to both of them for an interview for this story but did not hear back.

The DEC concluded Hughes violated procedures, including incorrectly classifying the emergency response from "welfare check" to "battery." When asked about why she did not upgrade the call, she said she had to clarify that someone was actually being assaulted and later acknowledged a battery call type would have been more appropriate.

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Cadotte-Merced also failed to upgrade the call despite hearing a woman in distress and a male voice making threats in the background, the DEC said. She told investigators she did not have confirmation of battery to upgrade the call.

The investigation into James Ireton, the primary Milwaukee Police District 6 dispatcher, revealed he did not violate policy and relied on DEC call-taker entries.

Texts between call taker, dispatcher

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Text messages between one of the 911 call takers, Stephanie Hughes, and a Milwaukee police dispatchers, James Ireton, were included in the records. They exchanged messages on July 31, five days after the mishandled call.

Records said Hughes asked Ireton if he was OK, and the exchange continues for a couple of days when Hughes said to Ireton: "I'm going to block you because I'm in disbelief that they are going to fire two people for a mistake we didn't make." Hughes went on to say: "We are low hanging fruit so they are going to throw us under the bus." Hughes then blocked Ireton. 

Editor's note: News is actively reviewing documents and will continue to update this story as new details are uncovered. Check back for more.

Continued coverage

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FOX6 News has been digging into the 911 delay investigation for months. Here's a look at FOX6's latest coverage:

• Sept. 11: City committee holds closed-door session
• Sept. 2: Victim's attorney considering lawsuit
• Sept. 1: How Wisconsin law protects public employees from lawsuits
• Aug. 27: Investigation record release faces procedural delay
• Aug. 26: Questions remain despite completed investigation