St. Petersburg Man Arrested After Police Say He Made 16,000 Emergency

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Summary

A St. Petersburg neighborhood dispute became a criminal case after police said a 72-year-old man repeatedly used the 911 emergency line to target a neighbor’s home. The suspect was identified as Samuel Lee Thomas. According to The Smoking Gun and the arrest affidavit images it published, Thomas allegedly made about 3,400 calls to police in the first five months of 2025 and about 16,000 calls over the previous five years.

The specific complaint that led to the arrest came on June 7, 2025. St. Petersburg police were dispatched after a report that someone was shooting an AR-15 rifle in the roadway outside a residence. When officers arrived, the affidavit said they found a family barbecue with small children at play, not a shooting scene. Numerous neighbors reportedly told officers that no such event had happened.

The police affidavit identified Thomas as the complainant. He lived across the street from the residence that had been reported. Police said Thomas was a recurring caller who had made numerous complaints about the same home. According to communications records described in the affidavit, Thomas had called 911 about that house 647 times in 2025 alone.

The resident of the targeted home was identified as Anqunette Peterson, 34. Peterson told police that the repeated calls had caused hundreds of interactions with officers. She also said Thomas frequently stopped in front of her residence and yelled obscenities at her and her family. Police described the conduct as more than an annoying neighbor feud. They concluded that Thomas was allegedly using the police department as a tool to harass Peterson’s household.

The affidavit said Thomas had reported narcotics activity, firearm use, disorderly conduct and suspicious activity at the Peterson home. Police wrote that they had responded to hundreds of complaints involving the residence and that those contacts had repeatedly failed to produce evidence supporting the accusations. In the AR-15 call, the affidavit said the alleged gunfire report was contradicted by the peaceful family gathering officers found on arrival.

Peterson told police that she wanted prosecution. She said she feared the repeated calls and police responses could escalate into a dangerous situation between her family and police. She also reported severe emotional distress to herself and her family. That fear is central to why the case was filed as stalking rather than treated merely as misuse of a phone line.

Thomas was arrested on June 7, 2025. The arrest affidavit listed the stalking charge under Florida Statute 784.048(2). The Smoking Gun reported that he was also charged with false report of a crime and resisting arrest. The Pinellas County booking summary listed the charges as false report of crime, stalking and resisting an officer without violence, with $500 bond on each count.

The resisting charge was tied to the arrest process. The Smoking Gun reported that Thomas allegedly tussled with officers when they tried to handcuff him. The booking record listed the charge as resisting an officer without violence, a Florida misdemeanor offense under Section 843.02.

The legal framework matters because each charge addresses a different part of the alleged conduct. Stalking addresses the repeated pattern directed at Peterson and her family. False report of crime addresses the allegation that Thomas knowingly reported a crime that had not happened. Resisting without violence addresses the alleged behavior during the attempted arrest.

Florida’s stalking statute defines harassment as a course of conduct directed at a specific person that causes substantial emotional distress and serves no legitimate purpose. The same statute makes willful, malicious and repeated following, harassment or cyberstalking a first-degree misdemeanor. Florida’s false-report statute makes it a first-degree misdemeanor to knowingly give law enforcement false information about a crime when no such crime occurred. Florida’s resisting-without-violence statute also treats obstruction or resistance of an officer during a lawful duty as a first-degree misdemeanor.

The Smoking Gun reported that Thomas pleaded not guilty to the three misdemeanor charges and was free on $1,500 bond. No accessible source reviewed for this article confirmed a later conviction, plea deal, dismissal or final sentence. For that reason, the case should be described as an arrest and allegation unless official Pinellas County court records confirm a final disposition.

The case drew attention because of the staggering call volume. Sixteen thousand emergency-line calls over five years is not a neighborhood complaint pattern so much as a paper storm with a phone cord. But the more serious part of the case is the allegation that one family became the repeated target of those calls. Police said emergency resources were sent again and again to a home where no evidence supported the accusations.

Emergency lines are designed for immediate threats, not private grudges wearing a siren costume. When false or malicious calls are made, officers may respond expecting danger, residents may face frightening police encounters, and real emergencies may compete for dispatch attention. That is why the case became more than a strange headline about call totals. It became a stalking, false-report and public-safety case.

Section 1: The Crime

The alleged crime was a pattern of stalking and false reporting through repeated 911 calls. Police said Thomas repeatedly contacted emergency services about a neighboring home, including 647 calls about that residence in 2025. The final reported incident involved a claim that someone was shooting an AR-15 rifle in the roadway.

When officers responded, they found a family barbecue with small children present. The arrest affidavit said numerous neighbors advised that no shooting had occurred. Police concluded that Thomas was allegedly using the emergency system to harass Peterson and her family for no legitimate purpose.

Important wording note: This case should be described as alleged conduct unless a final court disposition is verified. Thomas pleaded not guilty, according to The Smoking Gun.

Section 2: Crime Location

The incident occurred in St. Petersburg, Florida, in Pinellas County. The police affidavit described the targeted home as being on 11th Avenue South. This article avoids repeating the full home address because the case involves a private victim and family residence.

Section 3: Date And Time Of Crime

The arrest affidavit states that the AR-15 call and arrest occurred on June 7, 2025. The report time listed in the affidavit was approximately 5:04 p.m., and the booking record shows the booking date as June 7, 2025. The Smoking Gun published its article on June 16, 2025.

Correction note: The existing Crime Report page shows July 25, 2026 as the page date. That is the WordPress publication date, not the incident or arrest date. The underlying arrest record places the incident and arrest on June 7, 2025.

Section 4: Police Department

The case was handled by the St. Petersburg Police Department. The official department website lists 911 for emergencies and 727-893-7780 as the non-emergency number. The arrest affidavit was signed by a St. Petersburg police officer and filed in Pinellas County court records.

Section 5: Suspect Name

The suspect was identified as Samuel Lee Thomas. The Pinellas County booking summary and court-affidavit images list him as Samuel Lee Thomas of St. Petersburg, Florida.

Section 6: Suspect Age

Thomas was reported to be 72 years old at the time of the June 2025 arrest.

Section 7: Charges

Thomas was booked on three misdemeanor charges: stalking, false report of crime and resisting an officer without violence. The stalking charge was connected to the repeated pattern of calls and alleged harassment directed at Peterson and her family. The false-report charge was tied to the alleged AR-15 shooting report that police said was not supported by the scene or by neighbor statements.

Florida Statute 784.048 covers stalking and defines harassment as a course of conduct directed at a specific person that causes substantial emotional distress and serves no legitimate purpose. Florida Statute 817.49 covers false reports of crimes. Florida Statute 843.02 covers resisting, obstructing or opposing an officer without violence during the lawful execution of a legal duty.

Section 8: Bond Amount

The Smoking Gun reported that Thomas was free on $1,500 bond. The Pinellas County booking summary listed $500 bond for false report of crime, $500 for stalking and $500 for resisting an officer without violence, totaling $1,500.

Section 9: Conviction

No final conviction was confirmed in the accessible sources reviewed for this article. The Smoking Gun reported that Thomas pleaded not guilty to the three misdemeanor charges. The case should be described as an arrest and allegation unless official Pinellas County court records later confirm a plea, conviction, dismissal or other final disposition.

Section 10: Sentence

No final sentence was confirmed in the reviewed sources. For legal context only, the reported charges are first-degree misdemeanor offenses under Florida law. Florida first-degree misdemeanors can carry up to one year in jail and a fine of up to $1,000, but those are possible statutory penalties only, not a confirmed sentence in this case.

Section 11: Outcome

The reported outcome so far is that Thomas was arrested, booked on three misdemeanor charges, released on a reported $1,500 bond and entered a not guilty plea. No accessible public source reviewed for this article confirmed a later plea deal, trial verdict, dismissal, probation term or sentence. Thomas is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.

Section 12: Victim

The primary victim was Anqunette Peterson, 34, and her family. Peterson told police that the repeated 911 calls had resulted in hundreds of police interactions and that Thomas frequently stopped in front of the residence to yell obscenities. She said she feared the situation could escalate into a dangerous encounter and that her family had suffered severe emotional distress.

The broader affected parties also included emergency dispatchers, responding officers, neighbors and the public. Police responses to false or malicious emergency calls can divert resources and create risk for the residents who become the subject of those calls.

Section 13: Victim Name

The publicly reported victim name was Anqunette Peterson. Her family was also identified as affected by the repeated police responses.

Section 14: Victim Age

Peterson was reported to be 34 years old. The ages of her family members were not fully reported, though the police account described small children at play during the barbecue scene.

Sources

1. Crime Report: Existing Samuel Lee Thomas 911 stalking article page
2. The Smoking Gun: Cops: Florida Man Has Dialed 911 16,000 Times
3. The Smoking Gun: Accused 911 Stalker document page
4. The Smoking Gun: Arrest affidavit image, page 1
5. The Smoking Gun: Arrest affidavit image, page 2
6. Recently Booked: Samuel Lee Thomas Pinellas County booking summary
7. Florida Senate: Florida Statute 784.048, stalking
8. Florida Senate: Florida Statute 817.49, false reports of crimes
9. Florida Senate: Florida Statute 843.02, resisting officer without violence
10. St. Petersburg Police Department official website

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