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Video: 4-year-old calls Wis. cops on mother for eating his ice cream

Two Mount Pleasant police officers turned a 911 call over ice cream into a lighthearted teaching moment — complete with a sweet ending

MOUNT PLEASANT, Wis. —A 4-year-old boy called 911 last week after his mother committed what he saw as a serious crime — eating his ice cream, WCAX reported.

“My mom is being bad,” the child told a Racine County dispatcher, according to audio obtained by WCAX. “Come and get my mommy, come get my mommy.”

As the dispatcher tried to determine what was wrong, the boy’s mother took the phone and explained the situation.

“I ate his ice cream, so that’s probably why he’s calling 911,” the mother said.

After receiving the call,Officer Gardinier and Officer Ostergaard were dispatched to the house for a 911 hangup, the Mount Pleasant Police Department said. Body camera video shows the mother answering the door.

“Oh it’s the police, they came for real,” she said.

“Yeah, we have to just come check to make sure everything’s okay,” an officer said.

The 4-year-old who called 911 can be seen at the top of stairs inside the house.

“Did you call the police?” the officer asks.

“Yeah,” the 4-year-old responds. “I told my mommy to go to jail.”

“I didn’t get ice cream,” the child continues.

After determining that the ice cream was the reason for calling 911, one of the officers turned the moment into a valuable lesson.

“No calling 911 unless it’s a real emergency, okay?” the officer said.

Before the officers’ leave, they remind the 4-year-old that they’ll be there to help if he ever needs it.

The next day, the officers returned — with ice cream. A photo released by the department shows the smiling boy holding two cups of ice cream with blue sprinkles, standing alongside Gardinier and Ostergaard who made sure justice was served — in a much sweeter way.

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Joanna Putman is an Associate Editor and newswriter at Police1, where she has been covering law enforcement topics since August 2023. Based in Orlando, Florida, she holds a journalism degree from the University of Florida and spent two years working in nonprofit local newsrooms, gaining experience in community-focused reporting. Married to a law enforcement officer, she works hard to highlight the challenges and triumphs of those who serve and protect. Have a news tip? Email her at news@lexipol.com