Chronic 911 caller charged with harassing authorities

A Tamaqua man who had more than 100 contacts with police in the past two years faces charges of harassing authorities with calls about a rock in his yard being moved 4 inches, pool water ruining his grass and children making noise.David W. Roeder, 51, of 130 W. Spruce St. should face single counts of persistent disorderly conduct and recklessly endangering another person, District Judge Stephen J. Beyer of Tamaqua ruled. Beyer dismissed a count of harassment by communication.Beyer's ruling came exactly two years after Tamaqua Police Chief Dave Mattson, then a patrolman, advised Roeder in writing "to cease and desist the nonsense calls to the station and 911 center."In an arrest affidavit, police say they brought the charges after years of warning Roeder against making phone calls to Schuylkill County Communications Center without a legitimate complaint. His calls tied up emergency telephone lines and operators and kept police officers from responding to legitimate police calls, the affidavit says.