911 Dispatcher Saves Woman Locked in Car Trunk Using Flip Phone

911 Dispatcher Saves Woman Locked in Car Trunk Using Flip Phone
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A woman, allegedly kidnapped in North Carolina and locked in the trunk of a moving vehicle by her “jealous boyfriend,” was saved by a 911 dispatcher who saved her using an old flip phone.

The woman, 29, called 911 in the early morning hours of January 14, saying her boyfriend forced her into the trunk after an argument, WRAL reported.

Dispatcher Tim Medlin tried to get some information out of her but couldn’t understand what she was saying before the call dropped.

He tried calling back multiple times but didn’t get a response. Medlin, thinking on his feet, had an idea.

He noticed that dispatchers had a flip phone that the dispatch center used in emergencies and decided to use the flip phone to text the woman, WTVD reported.

“Texting, it was the only way I knew we would probably not get her in trouble,” Medlin said. The woman texted Medlin back, telling him that she knew the driver and that she was in a red Mustang headed toward Fayetteville, NC.

Verizon gave the location of the woman’s phone to the dispatchers, who sent police to stop the car in Fayetteville, Newser reports.

Nicholas Mattevi, 32, was arrested and charged with false imprisonment and released on $10,000 bond.

When Medlin heard of the arrest, he was relieved that he had done his job. “Okay, they’re out with her. They’ve got them. They’ve confirmed that they’ve got them. We’re like, ‘Okay, this is over with. It’s done. I can go home. I can go to bed. We’ve done our job,'” Medlin recalled.

Medlin’s boss said that he’s going to buy a smart phone for the team with a keyboard to make it easier to text in case there’s a next time.

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