Would-be robbers pocket-dial 911 while discussing plans, police say

DANVILLE, Ky. — A pair of men face charges after police in Kentucky said one of them accidentally activated the emergency feature on his cell phone and pocket-dialed 911 as they were discussing their plans to rob businesses.

The call was made Saturday night from the parking lot of Brothers BBQ and Brewing Co. in Danville, The Advocate-Messenger reported. Danville's chief of police happened to be eating inside the restaurant.

"A bunch of us were all sitting around, just talking and joking, and an officer walked in," restaurant owner Mike Southerland told the newspaper.

The officer told Chief Tony Gray that a 911 dispatcher answered what appeared to be an accidental call made by a person who was planning a robbery with an accomplice.

"There was some conversation about when they should do it, they might be recognized if they do it in Danville, and I think they did talk about some different locations," Gray told WLEX. "Somewhere in the conversation, my name was brought up."

Authorities determined the call was coming from the area.

"When we stepped out back to talk, the dispatcher was able to pinpoint the phone, and the call was coming from somewhere in the parking lot at Brothers," Gray told The Advocate-Messenger.

In the parking lot of the restaurant, police found Robert Bourne, 59, and David Grigsby, 50 sitting in a vehicle. Officers patted them down and found a mask on one of the suspects, Gray told The Advocate-Messenger. No one was armed.

Gray told WLEX that the men appeared to be drunk and not actually planning to rob a business. They were charged with public intoxication and released on their own recognizance, The Advocate-Messenger reported.

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