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Dropped 911 Call Caused Delayed Response To Panty Prowler In House

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Concerned residents in East Sacramento's Elmhurst neighborhood wanted an explanation from police after a near-naked prowler broke into a woman's home and got away.

Neighbors called a meeting on Thursday evening, inviting law enforcement and city leaders to answer their concerns at the Coloma Community Center.

The suspect is accused of peering into the woman's window, then going inside wearing nothing but women's underwear and masturbating in front of her.

Police confirmed there was a delay in getting officers to the scene because the woman's 911 cellphone call was dropped and it took dispatchers several minutes to call her back.

"If it hits on certain towers CHP gets it first and they have to transfer it to us, and that's what happened in this case," said Captain Jason Bassett with the Sacramento Police Department.

READ ALSO: Investigators Working To Identify 'Panty Prowler' Suspect In Sacramento

When officers arrived at the house the suspect was still there but he was able to escape. Sacramento City Councilmember Eric Guerra says it's a technical problem he wants to fix.

"Any dropped call is unacceptable, and we need to figure out what is the best way, whether it's working with the carriers or working with our own system and looking at system improvements," said Guerra.

Other concerns are the dark streets in the neighborhood due to a lack of street lights, and alleys that run behind some homes, but police say a big key to safety is simply neighbors looking out for each other.

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