Woman makes fake 911 calls to get her ex-boyfriend arrested, MPD says
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MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) – A 26-year-old Memphis woman faces a slew of criminal charges after police say she repeatedly dialed fake 911 calls pretending to be her ex-boyfriend’s new partner, falsely reporting violent assaults and hostage situations in an effort to send armed officers to his apartment.
Dakeria Gardner was charged with multiple offenses, including criminal impersonation, five counts of false reporting, five counts of making nonemergency 911 calls, domestic violence stalking, harassment, vandalism, and violating bail and order-of-protection conditions.
According to an affidavit of complaint filed by the Memphis Police Department, the string of calls began in the early morning hours of Sept. 5, 2026. Memphis Police Communications received a 911 call around 12:27 a.m. from a woman identifying herself as 30-year-old Jerrica Spencer. The caller claimed her boyfriend, Cortez Brown, was armed with a gun, beating her inside an apartment on Chippewa Road, and refusing to leave. She called back less than 30 minutes later, frantically pleading for help and claiming Brown was attempting to pick the lock to get inside while she hid in a back closet.
When Memphis police arrived at the Chippewa Road apartment, they were met by the real Jerrica Spencer, who appeared to have been asleep. Spencer denied ever calling 911 and allowed officers inside, where they verified she was unharmed and found seven children asleep. Brown was not at the residence.
Despite officers clearing the scene, dispatchers received another panicked call less than an hour later at 1:23 a.m. The caller, again identifying as Spencer, wept and claimed Brown was actively beating her because police had been outside. At 1:47 a.m., the caller phoned 911 once more, claiming she was bleeding heavily, unable to breathe or see, and needed an ambulance. Emergency medical dispatchers asked the caller to spell the street name, but she was unable to do so correctly.
Officers returned to the apartment and again woke Spencer, who showed no injuries or signs of a struggle. Spencer told officers she suspected the caller was Gardner, her boyfriend’s former partner.
Investigators said the harassment continued later that morning around 9:55 a.m., when a caller claiming to be Spencer told 911 that Brown had chased her and stabbed her with glass. However, dispatchers noted background noises consistent with car doors shutting and whispers, while the caller seemed distracted and claimed to be inside the apartment.
Officers responding to that call encountered Brown outside the apartment complex working on a vehicle. Brown pointed out Gardner fleeing the parking lot in a black Nissan Versa. Brown told police Gardner had pulled up behind him, shouted derogatory insults, and then vandalized Spencer’s parked Dodge Dart by tearing off the rear door handles and throwing glass at the windshield alongside her young brother. Damage to Spencer’s vehicle was estimated at $700.
Detectives tied the phone number used in the morning 911 call directly to Gardner through police databases and matching text messages sent to both victims earlier that day. Brown later listened to audio recordings of the overnight emergency calls at the Mt. Moriah police station and positively identified the caller’s voice as Gardner. He also provided investigators with missed calls from Gardner and a text message from her that read, “about to call police again ????.”
Court records show Gardner had been on active bail conditions barring her from contacting Brown or going near his residence following an Aug. 4 incident at the same address, in which she allegedly used a kitchen knife to scratch both sides and the hood of Brown’s Chevrolet Tahoe, causing $3,000 in damage. Investigators noted Gardner has been listed as the primary aggressor in at least seven prior domestic violence reports involving Brown.
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