The 911 dispatch call transcript from an incident at the Spruce Pine Walmart last week sheds light on the initial moments leading to Dillon Ledford’s arrest and charges by the Spruce Pine Police Department. This call took place at 8:59 p.m., and set in motion the events of Feb. 16.
911 Dispatcher: 911. What’s the address of your emergency?
Caller: 2514 Halltown Road.
911 Dispatcher: And your name?
Caller: My name is *****************.
911 Dispatcher: Okay, ****************, and the number you’re calling from?
Caller: ***-***-****, my cellular phone.
911 Dispatcher: Okay, now tell me exactly what happened.
Caller: I’m one of the managers here at Walmart. We need a wellness check on a customer that’s in our parking lot. He’s parked in our online grocery area in a yellow Mini Cooper and he’s been here since, like, 7 o’clock and every time we… sometimes he’ll talk to my female associates and sometimes he won’t. I went out there to talk to him and he just got this big, buggy eyes and is not answering anybody and he’s twitching and he’s sitting in the driver’s seat, so I’d like someone to come do a wellness check, cause he’s in our OPD parking, which is impeding our online grocery customers from picking up their groceries.
911 Dispatcher: Alright. You said he’s been there since 7 p.m.?
Caller: Yes, he’s been here since 7 p.m.
911 Dispatcher: Okay.
Caller: He’s in a yellow Mini Cooper with a black top.
911 Dispatcher: Okay.
Caller: He’s a white male. He’s got facial hair, and he’s wearing, like, a hoodie or a sweatshirt right now. And he’s scared some of my female associates here by the way he’s acting, so.
911 Dispatcher: Okay. And he’s there in the grocery pick-up area?
Caller: He’s in the grocery pick-up sitting in his car, yes ma’am.
911 Dispatcher: Okay. Alright. Well, I will get this out and get officers on the way up there. If anything changes, you get any further information, you just call us back as soon as possible, okay?
Caller: Yes, ma’am, I sure will.
911 Dispatcher: Alright, thank you.
Caller: You’re welcome.
911 Dispatcher: Bye-bye.
Caller: Bye-bye.
According to Ledford, who was charged with trespassing and resisting arrest by the SPPD, he is a diabetic and was on his way home from a gym in Marion when he had a sudden drop in blood sugar. He pulled into the Walmart parking lot in search of help.
Ledford said he does not remember what happened when officers arrived at the scene but was aware that he could not communicate with them. Ultimately, Ledford was pulled from the car by SPPD officers, tased, arrested and charged before being released.
According to SPPD Chief Kacey Cook the incident has been turned over to the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigations.