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Mashburn
A veteran Kansas City AT&T employee with more than 40 years of service to the company died Sept. 19 after waiting 15 minutes for his employer to respond to urgent pleas for help and another 30 minutes before the company and emergency responders were finally able to locate him in the suburb of Gladstone.
Questions are being raised about why AT&T waited so long to locate and help Kevin Mashburn, 58, even as an ex-convict sits in a Clay County jail, charged with his murder. AT&T has so far refused to officially answer why dispatchers were not available to receive Mashburn’s frantic pleas for help and why they failed to use built-in GPS tracking equipment installed in company trucks to find Mashburn sooner.
According to official 911 transcripts, an AT&T employee eventually told Gladstone 911 dispatchers she was unable to ping Mashburn’s cellphone to help identify his exact location, telling the dispatcher “we’re not that useful.”
Mashburn was working alone, making overnight repairs to AT&T facilities in the area, when he was attacked by someone with a pry bar. Authorities later charged 35-year old ex-convict Bryan Middlemas with the crime. AT&T offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of a suspect in the case.
[flv width=”360″ height=”290″]http://www.phillipdampier.com/video/KSHB Kansas City Son Quicker response time could have saved dads life 9-25-12.mp4[/flv]
KSHB in Kansas City talked with Mashburn’s surviving son, who expressed concern that a quicker response time could have saved his dad’s life. Independence Power and Light says AT&T’s delayed response would never happen at their company. (3 minutes)
Mashburn used AT&T’s instant messaging system installed in company trucks to alert his employer that he needed an ambulance after being attacked, but court documents show Mashburn waited 15 minutes for AT&T dispatchers to respond:
Kevin (2:52:24 a.m) Amanda I NEEDE YOU TO CALL ME AN AMBULANCE
Kevin (2:52:37) I HAVE BEEN ATTACKED
Kevin (2:52:57) HELP ME PLEASE
Kevin (2:53:32) I am in Gladstone, MO AT THE KENDALLWAOOD APAT. COMPLEX OFF ANTIOCH
Kevin (2:54:01) DOYOU READ ME?
About 15 minutes later an AT&T employee named Amanda responded to Mashburn’s message.
Amanda (3:11:20) I got it.
While he waited for the dispatcher to respond, Mashburn also sent messages to another AT&T employee on duty:
Kevin (2:55:13) GRACIE ARE YOU THERE?
Gracie (3:11:06) I’M HERE NOW
Gracie (3:11:11) I WAS IN A MEETING
Kevin (3:20:10) need police
Gracie (3:20:43) THEY HAVE BEEN CALLED.. AND SO HAS STRICKLEN
Kevin (3:20:47) hurry
Gracie (3:21:14) THEY ARE EN ROUTE
Kevin (3:21:07) ok
Kevin (3:21:14) ok
Gracie (3:21:21) STRICKLEN ALSO EN ROUTE
Kevin (3:21:38) ok
Kevin (3:24:03) was attacked wiyh a flat crowbar
Gracie (3:24:40) we are praying
Gracie (3:25:08) you hurt bad?
Kevin (3:25:12) yes
Kevin (3:25:37) head split open
Gracie (3:26:15) stricklin on line.. can you give us an exact location we have the address
Gracie (3:26:21) he is trying to find you
Gracie (3:26:45 he is trying to find you
Kevin (3:26:45) near crossbox. Beacon and flasher are on
Kevin (3:27:25) I can sound horn
Gracie (3:29:10) yes
Gracie (3:29:10) us are on kendallwood
Kevin (3:30:44) yes
Gracie (3:32:10) are you near a business… can not hear you horn but keep sounding
[flv width=”360″ height=”290″]http://www.phillipdampier.com/video/KSHB Kansas City GPS questions in ATT techs murder 9-26-12.mp4[/flv]
KSHB explores how AT&T used (or did not use) the GPS system built-into Mashburn’s company vehicle to help locate him. (3 minutes)
Kansas City Police contacted Gladstone dispatchers regarding the assault on Sept. 19 at 3:12 a.m. Mashburn was not located until 3:42 a.m. Despite the fact AT&T trucks have built-in GPS tracking to monitor employees, the company has not publicly explained why it apparently went unused during the 30 minute search to find Mashburn. The frustration by all concerned was readily apparent in this portion of the official 911 transcript:
3:30:18 a.m. Gladstone Dispatcher #1: Our officers are still looking. They haven’t found anything yet.
3:30:20 a.m. Radio 258: I’m pulling out my map for the rental properties.
3:30:21 a.m. AT&T Supervisor (to dispatcher): Oh you’re kidding?
3:30:22 a.m. Gladstone Dispatcher #1: No.
At 3:32 a.m., AT&T Amanda said she called both Mashburn’s work and personal cellphones, but got no answer. By this point, four Gladstone Police officers were searching for Mashburn across the apartment complex.
3:32:50 a.m. Gladstone Dispatcher #1: Are you guys possible to ping his cellphone?
3:32:54 a.m. AT&T Amanda: I don’t have a way to.
3:32:56 a.m. Gladstone Dispatcher #1: You don’t have a way to do that?
3:32:59 a.m. AT&T Amanda: We’re not that useful.
3:33:33 a.m. AT&T Supervisor: It’s amazing you can’t find this guy.
Although medical teams eventually reached Mashburn, he did not survive the ordeal and was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Mashburn’s son says he has been asked why his father sent messages to company dispatchers instead of calling authorities directly. William Mashburn told the local Fox affiliate that he was not surprised his father used the mobile data terminal to seek help, because that was one of his primary tools on the job.
“If you could try to keep in mind it was a pretty severe head injury,” William Mashburn told the Fox affiliate. “Maybe the ability to speak wasn’t there. Maybe the phone was dislodged during any confrontation or something so, there’s a lot of questions we don’t have answers to, if people could be a little sensitive to that, we’d appreciate it.”
[flv width=”480″ height=”290″]http://www.phillipdampier.com/video/KSHB Kansas City 911 call details confusion in ATT attack 9-27-12.mp4[/flv]
KSHB chronicles almost an hour of confusion and frustration trying to reach the injured AT&T worker, who was pronounced dead when he finally reached the hospital nearly an hour after the attack. (3 minutes)
He’s a “taker” and Randall L. Stephenson is a “maker”
I spent 35 years with this outfit and from the first day we had GPS, they knew the moment I took a restroom break, how long it took me, and had no qualms about telling me I spent too much time on the stop. They would call me in and tell me I was going 5 mph over the speed limit at the exact time and exact place I was speeding and it was constantly drilled into our heads that GPS wasn’t a spying tool, it was for our safety. How’s that working out Randall? AT&T cares about the bottom… Read more »
I have been with AT&T for 20 years and they have always stated that gps is for OUR SAFETY!!!!! This is absolutely ridiculous that a manager could not pinpoint his techs exact location sounds like he has been schooled by some AT&T lawyers cause he damn well knows how to bring up gps even on his cell phone!!! AT&T will obviously try to behind the scenes make this Mr. Mashburns fault that is their way!!!! I remember when a tech lost his life not to long ago in Illinois and the four guys he was working with were terminated!!!! Lets… Read more »
Nothing AT&T managers do will surprise me. All involved should lose their job as many others should. My Prayer and Condolences goes out to the family for the loss of their LOVE ONE.
This is inexcusable – ATT Amanda: “We’re not that useful”? ATT Supervisor: “It’s amazing you can’t find this guy?” Why didn’t the Supervisor get off his sorry a*s and help? WTF? Why charge people for GPS if it’s not that useful? Gonna have to rethink ATT service even though it’s all there is around here. Would rather have none than these callous boobs.
Same Sh!t at Verizon. They use GPS for discipline only. Never to help a field tech! This is very sad. Prayers to the family.
It amazes me these companies will spend money on surveillance on employees, but will not spend money to appropriately maintain their networks and keep workers safe. In Detroit, AT&T trucks are seen as targets for electronic goodies, and techs there are being held up at gunpoint. This will be the next tragedy.
Retired phonetech here. My condolence to the family. So sorry for your loss. The sad thing is I’m sure at&t are looking at any angle to put blame on the tech. I hope he had “two” con
es out!
Found out today our reported travel time will be compared to
Google suggested travel time and scrutinized if a certain
percentage over. Somehow for safety I’m sure.
Bob, in light of the situation, the two cone pun made my day.
AT&T ONLY CARES ABOUT MONEY..BEEN WORKING WITH THEM FOR 24 YEARS AND THEY KNW EXACTLY WHERE U R ALL THE TIME..ITS BULL ON WHAT HAPPEN HERE…..LIKE EVERY ONE ELSE SD HERE,, THEY WILL BLAME HIS DEATH ON HIM ..SAYING HE SHOULDNT OF BEEN THERE OR SHOULD OF BEEN WITH SOME ONE….THIS COMPANY IS A JOKE.. CONDOLENCES TO THE FAMILY
After 17 years with AT&T I’ve come to learn they do not value human life in the least bit. After getting hit by a car while working a few years back, my manager refused to answer the phone. After calling another technician, the manager finally called me. Probably about 20 minutes. Her first question was “what happened to your truck and is it damaged?” I later faced possible discipline dispite the fact that I had ALL of my safety equipment out. I was not suspended but was told it was MY fault the lady hit me. My condolences to the… Read more »
Yep..At&t will find a way to make it his fault…I am a Verizon tech with over 23 years of service..They use GPS tracking as well, but solely for disciplinary purposes. It is disgraceful… Sad story..
Ma Bell would have found him and held him in her arms!
Prayers for the family……….
Just shows how screwed up that place is and they always told us gps was for safety ,but the only use i saw was for att to write someone up or to fire them. At@t needs . to value employees and customers and not like were trash. I guess gps is just like all the other lies at@t and their management tells employees daily and customers daily. I guess the only way to teach at@t a lesson is to sue them for the only thing they care about , that is MONEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!