911 caller charged with lying about armed robbery in Cape; Police: He made up story

by CONNOR HOLMES
published in the Cape Coral Daily Breeze 3/27/09

A North Fort Myers man's fake 911 call left Cape Coral police, Lee County sheriff's deputies and K-9 and aviation units searching for an armed robber who never existed, according to police.

Michael Paul Dandurand, 42, was charged Wednesday with misusing the emergency 911 system after reportedly telling police at about 10:16 p.m. that he had been robbed at gunpoint.

Dandurand told officers he and his wife had been robbed at a homeless camp in the woods near the 2900 block of Northeast Pine Island Road, reports state. He said the man demanded money and fled east on Northeast Pine Island Road.

Dandurand described the suspect as a white male, approximately 5 feet 11 inches tall with dark clothing and hair.

Officers reported that after exhausting the resources of several police agencies, investigations revealed the attempted robbery and suspect did not exist.

Deputies with the Lee County Sheriff's Office said Dandurand had made various 911 hang up calls from the same phone number starting at about 9 p.m.

Dandurand changed his story of what happened several times to several different officers, reports state.

He was taken to the Lee County Jail in apparent good health early Thursday morning and released later that afternoon of his own recognizance, according to jail records.