HENDERSON, Nev. -- Henderson Police arrested a 35-year-old man Wednesday who is accused of calling Henderson 911 more than 3,600 times over the past year.

Tuy Thai is facing 59 counts of unlawful use of 911. According to police, he would tie up the emergency line with hang-up calls. The 59 counts stem from the number of calls Thai made from his cell phone Tuesday and Wednesday. Thai had been questioned in the past regarding his calls but he claimed someone else was using his phone. Police say they were watching Thai and actually witnessed him make the calls earlier this week.

"Crank calls into 911 dispatch centers prevent people with real emergencies from getting through quicker," Henderson Police Chief Patrick Moers said. "When there is an emergency, every second can count and fake calls can delay getting help to the people who really need it."

The calls began more than a year ago coming from a cell phone without a registered address, but dispatchers were able to get ahold of Thai.

Thai was booked into the Henderson Detention Center and faces up to one year in jail and/or a $2,000 fine on each count.