Pizza customers targets of harassing phone calls

NORTH CHARLESTON, SC (WCSC) - North Charleston police are investigating a series of threatening, obscene and harassing phone calls made to customers of Papa John's Restaurant in the 5900 block of Rivers Avenue.

According to police reports, on March 18 several customers who had pizzas delivered from the store got disturbing phone calls midway through their meals. The voice on the other end claimed to be from Papa John's and warned that an employee had put something extra in their pizza.

A woman giving only the name Brittaney says she got one of those phone calls and immediately called the store.

"I said, 'I need to speak to the Manager someone called saying someone ejaculated on my pizza and that I might have aids!.'" Brittaney says the manager told her several people had gotten the same call.

Austin Ramsey works at the restaurant as a delivery driver. His name is listed as a suspect in the police report. It goes on to say that his manager told police that he came in from deliveries "in a very bad mood and said he had been stiffed on tips all night."

When questioned by this reporter, Ramsey defended himself. "Yeah, I had a rough night but I never threatened anybody," he said. "I never told anyone I would ejaculate on your pizza. Does that even sound like something someone would say. That's insane."

Brittaney says she and her family were traumatized by the repeated harassing calls. She managed to save one call that came in through what appeared to be an untraceable number. The message: "I'm calling because we're going to send you some free pizzas like we actually said they should be arriving at your house any minute now. We didn't get any fried chicken on it. I know how much your kind loves fried chicken. But we couldn't afford that. Call us back at the store that would be great."

The manager of Papa Johns said she could not comment and that her supervisor was unavailable. So far the North Charleston Police Department has not made any arrests in this case.

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