Kentucky Man Butt-Dials Police While Planning Restaurant Robbery

A pair of would-be robbers in Danville, Kentucky were busted even before they could commit the crime after accidentally butt-dialing police, reportedThe Advocate-Messenger. Unfortunately for the suspects, this was one 911 operator who didn’t hang up.

Suspects Robert Bourne and David Grigsby were reportedly planning to rob Brothers BBQ Saturday night, and were discussing it when one of the suspects pressed his cellphone’s emergency mode, dialing police. According to Danville Police Chief Tony Gray, who said he hadn’t heard the taped call yet: “There was some conversation about when they should do it, they might be recognized if they do it in Danville, and I think they did talk about some different locations… Somewhere in the conversation my name was brought up.”

Gray was finishing up dinner at Brothers BBQ, as confirmed by owner Mike Southerland, when dispatch called Gray about the phone call mentioning plans for a robbery. Police were later able to “triangulate the call,” finding the general location of it, leading an officer to Brothers BBQ where he knew Gray was. The officer asked Gray if he had been the one to accidentally call police while discussing a robbery case, since Gray’s name was mentioned.

“When we stepped out back to talk, the dispatcher was able to pinpoint the phone, and the call was coming from somewhere in the parking lot at Brothers. At that time, they located the two suspects sitting in the vehicle,” Gray said. Police found a mask on one suspect, but didn’t find weapons in the car.

The suspects were charged with public intoxication. The two had been in Brothers BBQ before the conversation, according to Sutherland. Grigsby, one of the suspects, was charged with disorderly conduct and for having an open alcohol container in a car.