Aloha man calls 9-1-1 over botched fast-food order

By John Snell, The Oregonian

May 27, 2009, 3:30PM

Raibin Raof Osman

ALOHA - For most folks it's not a dilemma. Given a choice between "a day without sunshine" and a day without jail time, most people will skip the orange juice and stay out of jail.

But Raibin Raof Osman isn't most people. The 20-year-old Aloha man had a sleep-over at the Washington County Jail on Memorial Day after calling 9-1-1 to complain that McDonald's left out a box of orange juice from his drive-thru order.

Osman was booked Monday night on accusations of improper use of 9-1-1. He bailed out Tuesday. The offense is a Class B misdemeanor punishable in Oregon by up to six months in jail and a fine of $2,500.

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The 9-1-1 call

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"We ordered some food," Osman told dispatchers at 11:41 p.m., calling on his cell phone from the restaurant at 19525 S.W. TV Highway in Aloha.

Osman told dispatchers the drive-thru attendant was laughing at his brother because he could not speak English very well.

"That's why I called," he said. "She (the employee who waited on him at the drive-thru window) was being rude."

A restaurant employee later called 9-1-1 to report that Osman and others who were with him were blocking the drive-thru lane, knocking on restaurant windows and intimidating employees.

Osman could not be reached for comment.

When sheriff's deputies arrived at the McDonald's, Osman was unwilling to listen to deputies explain that 9-1-1 wasn't in the business of straightening out fast food orders, said Sgt. David Thompson, spokesman for the Washington County Sheriff's Office.

"The deputy basically said, 'You can't use 9-1-1 for that reason,'" Thompson explained. "It's not an emergency. (Osman) said he didn't know how to get the non-emergency number. The guy had a Blackberry. He could have dialed 4-1-1 or got it off the Internet. There are payphones all over the parking lot, with phonebooks hanging from them.

"He could have come up with the non-emergency number just like everyone else does."

Thompson said Osman tried to argue that he had the legal right to call the police.

"He said it was a 'freedom of speech' issue," Thompson said. "He was not open to having the deputy educate him."

So Osman was taken to jail. His education will continue with an appearance in court, set to be scheduled at a later date.