HOUSTON (KTRK/CNN) - Former 911 operator Creshenda Williams must serve 18 months of probation and 10 days in jail after hanging up on callers to the emergency line.
A jury found her guilty of interference with emergency telephone calls.
Her attorney said it wasn't a malicious act.
"She went through a bad time in her life and her job performance suffered," defense attorney Franklin Bynum said.
He said his client never meant to hurt anyone. She simply thought she was directing incoming emergency 911 calls to operators who were better fit to respond.
"She had a lot going on in her life," he said.
The defense argued in court this week the Houston Emergency Center should've had a better system in place.
They said Williams needed help with her employment, not criminal charges.
"These charges, all this does is put a poor, single black woman into a world of punishment, helps no one," Bynum said.
"The Houston Emergency Center wasn't on trial for any criminal employee," prosecutor Lauren Reeder said. "She had knew how to game the system. This was her way of gaming the system when she didn't want to work."
Prosecutors said they say the evidence proved Williams' behavior wasn't a one time fluke.
"She was doing this five times Houston Emergency Center," Reeder said.
The law says they want to send a message if you take this job, people count on you.
"You expect to be the person on the other line to be compassionate and eager and ready to help out to you," Reeder said.
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