Ohio 911 dispatcher suspended for sleeping on the job

LEBANON, Ohio (AP) — A southwest Ohio county is suspending an emergency dispatcher accused of sleeping on the job, after an earlier investigation into another employee’s handling of the 911 call in a bathtub drowning.

Warren County commissioners ordered Shawn Mason suspended for three days after he missed a medical emergency call. He earlier received warnings for dozing on the job. A message was left on his home phone today.

The county call center has come under scrutiny for handling of the 911 call last year when Ryan Widmer reported his wife, Sarah, drowned in their tub. A jury convicted Widmer of murder, but he will get a new trial because of juror misconduct.

Authorities said the dispatcher in that case sounded confused, but officials concluded he was not sleeping.