Shraman Mitra
Netflix’s ‘Don’t Pick Up The Phone’ chronicles how several restaurants and grocery stores around the United States were plagued by a hoax caller who convinced managers to strip search employees illegally. While the caller started his harassment in the early 1990s, the issue came into the limelight in 2004 when 18-year-old Mcdonald’s employee Louise Ogborn was strip searched and sexually assaulted under the supervision of her assistant manager, Donna Summers, and her fiance, Walter Nix. Detective Buddy Stump of the Mount Washington police department was assigned to the case, and once he began investigating the incident, he came across Detective Sergeant Victor Flaherty, who was also after the same caller. Well, let’s delve into the details surrounding the incident and find out where Buddy and Victor are at present, shall we?
Who Are Detectives Buddy Stump and Victor Flaherty?
On April 9, 2004, Donna Summers, an assistant manager at a Mcdonald’s restaurant in Mount Washington, Kentucky, received a call from a person posing as a police officer. The caller accused one of her employees of stealing a customer’s belongings, and once Donna singled out Louise Ogborn based on the description provided, she was asked to give her a thorough strip search. In the middle of the search, Donna had to leave her office, and the caller had her put her fiance, Walter Nix, in charge. Walter went on to sexually abuse the teenager and even forced her to perform sexual activities until a maintenance man identified the call as a hoax and disconnected it.
At the time of the Mount Washington hoax call, Detective Buddy Stump was a detective with the Mount Washington police department and was asked by his boss to investigate the incident. Once Buddy took statements from the people present on the scene, he was shocked as to how a person could force two rational human beings to perform such heinous acts over the phone. However, even though Donna and Walter were arrested, Buddy soon hit a dead end as there were no leads on the actual caller.
For days, Buddy believed that the call was a one-off incident, and he made it his life’s goal to catch the person responsible. However, once the detective went on the internet, he was surprised to find that establishments across the United States had fallen victim to such calls. Moreover, after one fast food worker attempted to track the call using a dial code, the caller’s location was traced to Panama City in Florida.
Around that time, Buddy learned about Detective Sergeant Victor Flaherty of the West Bridgewater Police Department, who was also on the hunt for the hoax caller. Hence, the two detectives decided to join forces and soon discovered that the caller was using pre-paid calling cards for the hoax calls. They also learned that Walmart is the biggest calling card seller in Panama City and even managed to get a picture of the suspect from a registry camera at a Walmart store. That picture led Victor and Buddy to a jail worker by the name of David Stewart, and once the detectives found a massive stock of calling cards at David’s house, they ended up arresting him for his alleged role in the hoax calls.
Where Are Detectives Buddy Stump and Victor Flaherty Today?
Although David Stewart was charged with solicitation of sodomy and produced in court, the prosecution was unable to convince the jury of his guilt. Hence, in 2006, David Stewart was acquitted of all charges and set free. Naturally, Buddy and Victor were disappointed by the verdict as they were convinced of David’s guilt. They even went on to claim that the calls had stopped completely once they had David in custody.
Nevertheless, at present, Buddy Stump has retired from detective service with the Mount Washington Police Department, but it’s evident that Louise Ogborn’s assault and this entire case haunts him to this very day. As for his personal life, he prefers to keep it under wraps, although he does appear to reside in Taylorsville, Kentucky, and is happily married. On the other hand, Victor Flaherty still lives in West Bridgewater, Massachusetts, and has since been promoted to the Chief of Police at the West Bridgewater Police Department.
