Feed: World Yahoo UK
Posted on: Monday, April 29, 2013 19:53
Author: World Yahoo UK
Subject: Woman 'Uses' Ambulance As Free Taxi Service
A woman has been charged by police in South Carolina who say she repeatedly pretended to be sick to get a free ambulance ride into town. Audrey Ferguson lives in an isolated area of Dorchester County, about 50 miles northwest of Charleston. Sheriff's Office records indicate emergency workers have been called to the 51-year-old's home about 100 times since January 2005 to take her to hospital. Officials eventually began to question the nature of the calls, and finally became suspicious. "This particular woman clearly was using us to get transported, and the state was paying for it," Emergency Medical Services director Doug Warren told The Post and Courier newspaper. He added that each trip had cost \$425 (£274) plus mileage at a rate of \$7 (£4.50) - all paid for by Medicaid. The next time Ferguson called for help in early April, sheriff's deputies were alerted. The paramedics took her as usual to hospital in North Charleston, where police say she duly called her son to come pick her up. She told hospital staff she was fine after all, and attempted to walk out. But she was quickly arrested by the watching deputies. Ferguson has been charged with misuse of 911 and giving a false report. She is being held in lieu of \$2,450 (£1,580) bail. |
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