Jailed on $250,000 Cash Bond, Man Explains Dispatch Calls in Exclusive Lincoln CountyWatch Interview
TROY, Mo. — “I just want something done for my dad.”
Speaking from custody, Gary Steven Greeney Jr. said fear for his father’s well-being drove the repeated telephone calls that now have him facing three felony harassment charges and a $250,000 cash-only bond.
In an exclusive recorded interview with Lincoln CountyWatch, Greeney acknowledged becoming belligerent during some conversations with dispatch employees. But he denied threatening anyone and said his calls began as requests for help before becoming a frustrating effort to reach officers and file complaints.
“I wasn’t nice,” he said of some calls. “I never threatened anybody.”
CHARGES
First-degree harassment — three Class E felony counts
Greeney said his father suffered a stroke and lives at Lincoln County Nursing and Rehab. He described his father as bedridden, with limited ability to communicate, and said he holds medical power of attorney.
His concerns intensified, he said, after a care-plan meeting in which he learned his father had not been taking medication for an extended period. Greeney said he had not been notified and questioned facility administrators about why.
He said he subsequently contacted the state’s elder-abuse hotline and sought police assistance.
“I was scared to death for my dad’s life,” Greeney said.
Greeney said state personnel later told him the facility would receive citations related to his complaints. He did not provide written findings during the interview.
He also described being barred from visiting the facility, leaving him increasingly worried about how he could check on his father. He said he told a sergeant that if he could not visit, he would need officers to check on his father instead.
Greeney described calling dispatch, the sheriff’s office and the jail while trying to reach someone who could help. He said officers checked on his father twice, but he remained concerned and continued seeking responses.
As those efforts continued, he said, the calls increasingly centered on how to file complaints about the way his requests had been handled.
Greeney said he went to the dispatch center after being told to submit a complaint there, only to receive different instructions when he arrived. He described feeling that each attempt to resolve the issue led to another unanswered question.
“I didn’t know what to think, what to do,” he said.
The court filing states that Greeney submitted a written complaint on Oct. 20 and had received an explanation of the complaint process before the repeated calls documented on Oct. 23.
It records 27 calls between approximately 8:49 a.m. and 10:02 a.m. that day and lists 91 calls to Lincoln County Dispatch over a broader period.
Authorities describe repeated redials, attempts to reach different employees and statements that Greeney intended to keep calling until he received the answers he sought. They contend the conduct disrupted communications-center operations.
Greeney acknowledged that he repeatedly called and sometimes spoke angrily. He disputed that his purpose was to harass employees or interfere with emergency services.
“I wasn’t trying to hurt nobody,” he said.
He maintained that he used the non-emergency telephone number and would let employees end conversations when they needed to handle another call.
“I never called 911,” Greeney said. “I always called the non-emergency.”
Greeney is charged with harassment, not misuse of 911. The probable cause statement describes calls to Lincoln County Dispatch; it does not state that he dialed 911.
Greeney said a conversation with a police lieutenant initially left him feeling that his concerns were being heard. He described a later encounter at a hospital in which the lieutenant criticized how he had spoken to dispatch employees.
Asked whether anyone had told him to stop calling, Greeney initially said he did not remember, explaining that he had been distraught about his father.
Later in the interview, he described a sergeant speaking with his wife about getting him to stop. He said he subsequently spoke with a detective and told him he no longer wanted to pursue the matter because he feared being arrested.
“I told him I didn’t want nothing else to do with it because I’m afraid I’m going to go to jail,” Greeney said. “I just want to help my dad.”
Greeney said he stopped calling before his arrest. Establishing the timing of those conversations, any warnings and the final calls will be part of Lincoln CountyWatch’s follow-up reporting.
During the interview, Greeney repeatedly questioned the bond amount and described being worried about his family while in custody.
“I don’t know why they’re putting a $250,000 bond on me,” he said.
He also raised concerns about access to prescribed medication in custody. At the same time, he praised individual nurses and a community paramedic who had worked with him, distinguishing those interactions from his broader concerns about treatment.
Lincoln CountyWatch has not independently verified Greeney’s claims concerning his father’s care, treatment in custody or conversations with officials. We intend to seek responses from Lincoln County Nursing and Rehab, the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, Troy Police and Lincoln County 911 leadership, along with relevant call recordings, complaint correspondence and available state inspection findings.
Greeney agreed to the recorded interview and asked that his account be reported. This update follows our initial coverage of the charges and provides his explanation and response.
Further coverage will examine the records and responses obtained, as well as developments in his court case. This article will be updated as additional information is confirmed.
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Individuals mentioned in our reporting are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law. The filing or non-filing of criminal charges, an arrest, or the existence of an investigation should not be interpreted as evidence of guilt.
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Sources: Recorded interview with Gary Steven Greeney Jr.; court records in case 26L6-CR00698; court appearance information confirmed by Lincoln CountyWatch.
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