We had an operator at the 911 center I worked at who did this. She (thankfully) didn't hit the "thousands" level of hangups, but it was a significant number. I don't think she was charged criminally, but she was fired, and had her dispatcher certification revoked by the state (surrounding states licensing agencies are also notified when someone has their certification revoked). Basically she can't work anywhere in the western United States as a 911 dispatcher.