Some like it hot, but that doesn’t mean fire alarms should be pulled when an emergency event isn’t occurring. The teachers and students of the Head Start school in Georgetown, Texas learned that lesson the hard way on April 9, 2015.
23-year old Dylan Ray Gingrow, from Liberty Hill, was a temporary resident of the San Gabriel Crisis Center at 711 N. College St. in Georgetown, Texas. Williamson County Police were called to the mental health facility when Gingrow left against the advice of staff. It was suspected that Gingrow may have been suffering from a psychotic episode.
Gingrow talked with the school’s director, demanding that she allow him to see his son and threatened the staff’s safety if he was denied. In an effort to bypass the director and find his child, Gingrow began swearing, pulled the fire alarm and went to various rooms to look for his son.
According to the arrest affidavit, Gingrow’s son doesn’t attend the Head Start School.
While looking for Gingrow, a police officer heard a fire alarm at the nearby Head Start school. “Deputies told the officer that they had received a 911 call from the school and that Gingrow might have pulled the alarm,” according to Austin American Statesman.[1] The officer apprehended Gingrow after seeing him leave a classroom.
Although Gingrow was arrested on April 14, 2015 it’s not clear whether he was held in Williamson County Jail or released to a mental health facility.
The punishment for pulling fire alarms or making false emergency reports is not light. The Texas Penal Code states, “An offense under this section is a Class A misdemeanor unless the false report is of an emergency involving a public primary or secondary school, public communications, public transportation, public water, gas, or power supply or other public service, in which event the offense is a state jail felony.”[2] The charge can also result in a yearlong jail sentence and fines costing an upwards of $2500.
If you’ve done something to get in hot water and are now in need of a bail bondsman to get out of the Williamson County Jail, give us a call immediately. Our professional agents focus on providing clear, concise, and friendly assistance to all of our clients. Call (512)930-3040 for more information.
