A Florida Man called 911 16,000 times in one outrageous campaign against his neighbors that landed him in handcuffs

Just when you think Florida Man stories can’t get any wilder, along comes Samuel Lee Thomas.

The 72-year-old St. Petersburg resident has been arrested after police discovered he made a mind-boggling number of calls to 911 over the past five years.

And Florida Man called 911 16,000 times in one outrageous campaign against his neighbors that landed him in handcuffs.

Florida Man turns 911 into his personal weapon against neighbors

Thomas wasn’t calling about genuine emergencies or real crimes.

Instead, he was using the emergency system as his own personal harassment hotline against the family living across the street from him.

Police records show Thomas made 647 calls to 911 just this year alone about his neighbors, the Peterson family.

That breaks down to more than one call per day targeting the same household.

His latest stunt involved calling police to report someone was “shooting an AR-15 rifle in the roadway” outside the Peterson home.

When officers arrived at the scene, they found something completely different.

There was no gunman with an assault rifle terrorizing the neighborhood.

Instead, police discovered a peaceful family barbecue with small children playing in the yard.

Neighbors confirm no shooting ever happened

Multiple neighbors told police that no shooting incident had occurred anywhere in the area.

The whole thing was another fabricated emergency call from Thomas designed to cause trouble for the Peterson family.

Anqunette Peterson, the 34-year-old mother who lives at the targeted home, told officers that Thomas had subjected her family to “hundreds of interactions with the police” through his relentless 911 abuse.

But the harassment didn’t stop with bogus emergency calls.

Peterson said Thomas “frequently stops in front of their residence to yell obscenities at her and her family.”

The man was conducting a full-scale campaign of intimidation against his neighbors using law enforcement as his weapon of choice.

Over the months, Thomas had called 911 to make false allegations about the Peterson family including claims of drug sales, illegal firearms usage, disorderly conduct, and suspicious criminal activity.

Police finally put an end to the madness

Law enforcement eventually realized what was happening and took action to stop Thomas’s abuse of the emergency system.

Officers concluded it was “readily apparent” that Thomas was “utilizing the police to maliciously harass Peterson and her family for no legitimate purpose.”

Police arrested Thomas on charges of stalking and filing a false report of a crime.

He was also hit with a resisting arrest charge after he allegedly fought with officers when they tried to handcuff him.

Thomas posted a $1,500 bond and has pleaded not guilty to all three misdemeanor charges.

But his record with the 911 system tells the real story about his behavior.

Thomas has a history of trouble with the law

The criminal complaint revealed that Thomas “has made approximately 3,400 calls to the police this year and 16,000 calls within the last 5 years.”

Police noted there was no indication of mental health issues or drug and alcohol influence that would explain his excessive calling behavior.

This suggests Thomas knew exactly what he was doing when he repeatedly made false reports to harass his neighbors.

His criminal history shows a pattern of problematic behavior over the years.

Thomas’s rap sheet includes multiple battery convictions along with convictions for DUI, marijuana possession, disorderly intoxication, passing bad checks, violating probation, and failure to return rented merchandise.

However, this marks the first time he’s been arrested specifically for misusing the 911 emergency system.

Family lives in fear of escalating harassment

Peterson told police she decided to press charges against Thomas because she was afraid the constant police calls could “escalate into a potential dangerous situation.”

The family has already endured “severe emotional distress” from months of being targeted by Thomas’s harassment campaign.

Living under the constant threat of police showing up at your door based on false reports would be terrifying for any family with young children.

When reached by The Smoking Gun for comment, Thomas denied any wrongdoing.

“I don’t know nothing about stalking,” Thomas said, claiming his calls to police were about “neighborhood nuisances.”

He described himself as “ex-military” and promised to provide more details about his side of the story.

But the police records and witness statements paint a clear picture of a man who weaponized the emergency system to terrorize his neighbors.

Peterson and her family can finally get some peace knowing that Thomas will face consequences for his actions.