Nancy Campbell says she was worried. The Barrington police say she was just being impatient.

On Thursday morning, Dec. 17, Ms. Campbell answered to a disorderly conduct charge in Barrington Municipal Court — Barrington police said Ms. Campbell misused the 911 emergency system when she dialed for police assistance after growing impatient while waiting at a Barrington bank's drive-through window in early November.

Ms. Campbell, a 63-year-old Seekonk resident, said she made the 911 call after being abandoned at a drive-through window for more than 10 minutes. She said she feared there was a medical situation in the bank or some other type of emergency.

"I thought there was something wrong," Ms. Campbell told Barrington Municipal Court Judge Frank Connor. "I made the 911 call thinking that I was doing the right thing. Had something been wrong, I would have been a hero.

"In light of everything that has been going on, and what happened in California, I think I did the right thing."

After deliberating on the situation, Judge Connor sided with the police.

The judge said some of Ms. Campbell's testimony in court differed from information she shared with police on the day of the incident. He then ordered Ms. Campbell to pay a $100 fine and issued her a stern warning about misusing the 911 emergency system.

"When you call upon police and fire emergency services, you are raising a very serious alarm, particularly when you call from a bank," said Judge Connor. "…(the call) is putting lives at risk…"

Ms. Campbell nodded when the ruling was made, but disagreed with the decision while walking out of the room at the Barrington Town Hall Thursday morning.

"He made me feel like I'm guilty for what I did," she said. "If there had been an emergency, I would have been a hero."

Ms. Campbell recalled the day of the call. She said she had dropped off some donated items at St. John's Church in Barrington; she said she received a $29 check for the goods.

"I thought I'd go ahead and cash it" at the Citizens Bank in the Barrington Shopping Center, she said.

Ms. Campbell said she pulled up the window and was greeted by a teller. Ms. Campbell said the teller then left the window and did not return for another 10 minutes. Ms. Campbell said she grew very concerned and decided to dial 911.

Barrington police said Ms. Campbell shared none of her concern with the 911 dispatcher or with the officer who responded to the scene.

According to the police report narrative, Ms. Campbell had left the bank after making the call and talked to the police officer once she had finished some shopping at the nearby Shaw's Supermarket. The officer was getting ready to clear the scene when Ms. Campbell approached him.

"I asked her if she thought there was an emergency inside the bank," wrote Patrolman Anthony DeCristoforo in his report. "She replied no, she could see inside the bank and there was no emergency. I asked her again if she thought there was an emergency inside the bank. She shook her head and said they weren't busy in there and there was no line…"

In court on Thursday morning, Barrington Police Chief John LaCross told Judge Connor that he had reviewed a recording of Ms. Campbell's 911 call. He said Ms. Campbell told the dispatcher she had been waiting in line for over 10 minutes and that it was "a police matter."

Chief LaCross said his department reviewed the situation and decided to file the charge against Ms. Campbell. He said her action was a violation of town code — 131-5 "false alarms."

Ms. Campbell said she refused to sign the summons for the charge.

According to the police report, Ms. Campbell was called to the police station on Nov. 19 to be formally charged. During her visit to the station, she reportedly said "she had no idea why she wasn't being helped at the drive-thru window…"

In court on Thursday, Ms. Campbell offered her testimony and initially said she planned to enter a not guilty plea. Judge Connor told her that the court would need to schedule a trial for her case. He also offered her some more time to think over her plea. She went back to her seat, and then returned to the podium a few minutes later with a different plea: no contest. She said she wanted the situation put behind her.

"I certainly would have never made this call if I didn't think something was wrong," she said.

Ms. Campbell said she had already closed out her savings account at Citizens Bank.

"This will be the last check I write for Citizens," she said, referring to her payment of the $100 fine.