Netflix has been ramping up the documentaries and for good enough reason. The Documentaries or Docu-Series on Netflix have been some good traction and while that is good, it also means that the viewers are not going to be sated with normal documentaries keeping that in mind, Netflix has released one of the weirdest and most shocking docu-series of this year titled “Don’t Pick Up The Phone”. After all the 3 Episodes of this docu-series, you will realize that the title is an apt one for it. However, what is it about, that’s the real question, isn’t it?
Based on real stories across US, the docu-series recounts the investigation of a hoax caller that convinced the managers of restaurants to strip search their employees posing as law enforcement officers.
The absurdity of these whole incidents causes you to frown upon it and be disgusted and disappointed at the same time. However, these events happened in 2004. The docu-series covers several incidents and follows the usual documentary path with several enactments.
The docu-series starts off with the story of Mcdonald’s whose assistant manager Donna Summers had gotten a call from someone who claimed to be a law enforcement officer and claimed that one of their employees has stolen a wallet from a customer. Informing that a representative from Mcdonald’s is on the line and assuring that this issue will be solved right on the call, he asks one of the employees, Louise Ogborn, to be called into her office and asks her to strip-search the accused, to the point that Louise is left naked in the office.
The caller even asks Donna’s fiancé Walter Nix to come so Donna could go back to work making it all seem to like this is official. While Walter is on the call, the caller directs him to sexually assault Louise but comes to his senses and stops immediately. On the other hand, Donna brings in a custodian who questions the caller.
Who Was The Unknown Caller
After an investigation has been carried out by Detective Stump, its revealed that several crimes like this with the same MO have been occurring since 1994 and 69 other businesses in 32 states have fallen prey to these calls where the caller has asked to strip-search the employees. Their investigation gets them to footage where they identify a man who is wearing pants with braids on them and identify him as not a cop. After going from one jail to another one Head of Security identified this man to be David Stewart.
Was David Stewart Arrested?
During the investigation, Detective Stump and Flaherty identify this mystery caller to be David Stewart, they interrogate him and he gets uncomfortable within seconds of the interrogation but also denies the claims that were made against him. He pleads the fifth and refuses to answer any question, which doesn’t leave any choice for the detectives but to back off.
David then hires a lawyer named Steve Romines who had other opinions about David but believed him to be not guilty of the crimes he was accused of. Although, what he focused on are the inconsistencies of the case that the detectives had made. The evidence collected by the detectives had them thinking it was enough against David but the jury didn’t believe so because whatever the detectives had was not indicative or proof that David was the one making those calls.
David was let go and acquitted of these charges and was not brought against any connection with any other hoax calls.
What Happened To The McDonalds Employee, Donna?
Donna admitted her guilty in the incident and maintained her innocence in this however, her fiancé Walter Nix was sentenced to five years in jail for sexually assaulting Louise. Louise sued Mcdonald’s for $200 M who were also complicit in allowing this to continue because there had been previous cases at Mcdonald’s as well. In the lawsuit, Louise’s lawyer forced Mcdonald’s to hand over information about similar cases that had happened before at Mcdonald’s. In all this, Mcdonald’s tried to pin this whole fiasco on Louise and also implied that Louise is also part of the hoax and is trying to get money from them.
However, the jury came to a decision and compensated Louise for more than $6 M in this lawsuit. Mcdonald’s later released a statement in which they mentioned that what happened was wrong but later mentioned that Louise was a victim of a malicious hoax carried out by people not representing them.
“Don’t Pick Up The Phone” is streaming on Netflix.
