Arrested for using an ambulance as a taxi cab
Audrey Ferguson has been calling 911 in order to get a ride from an ambulance to Charleston. Ferguson, 51, has done this more than 100 times over the past seven years. That calculates to one ambulance trip every month.
Ferguson would claim that she had an illness and once the ambulance took her to the hospital she would say she was fine, sign out, and leave.Dorchester County EMS Director Doug Warren says, "She has medical complaints that are legitimate, and so until she's been evaluated and determined not to be sick, we have to assume she is." Warren also adds that Ferguson usually has complaints about abdominal pain.Warren called the sheriff's office to issue an investigation. Detectives found out that Ferguson did not own a car, and on April 2nd a Dorchester County deputy was waiting at Trident Medical Center for an ambulance carrying Ferguson. Ferguson left in handcuffs and on the way to jail she explains why she has been dialing 911 at such a frequent rate.Ferguson claims that this was the only way to get around from places because she did not own a car. Medicaid paid for her trips and she says it is part of her "benefits".Each trip costs $425, plus mileage. Officials say Medicaid does not cover the entire cost so taxpayers will have to pay the rest of the bills, which totals over $400,000.Ferguson is charged with unlawful use of 911 and filing a false police report.
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