McCune mayor shoots two dogs

It was a very busy Sunday in the southwest Crawford County town of McCune on Sunday.

According to the Crawford County Sheriff’s department, a deputy was called to McCune just before noon on Sunday regarding the shooting of two dogs.

A report by the Sheriff’s office said that a caller reported seeing the mayor of McCune, Don Call, shoot two dogs on the property of Duane Wahl at 612 Oak Street.

Crawford County Sheriff Sandy Horton said that when the deputy arrived at the residence, the mayor said he had received a call from Tim and Sandy Gomez stating that the dogs had chased the Gomez’s two kids.

The initial chasing incident was not reported to the Sheriff’s office.

“We were never really able to get a report as to who the animals were aggressive towards,” Horton said.

According to the report, the mayor then drove down to the Wahl residence and shot both of the dogs from his vehicle on the street with a rifle.

“The caller said that the dogs were chained up when they were shot,” Horton said. “The mayor said they weren’t chained and Wahl said that the German Shepherd that allegedly chased the kids was not even his.”

Call said the dogs were in the public right-of-way on the sidewalk.

The mayor then went to his residence and got a trailer, returned to where the dogs were shot, loaded them onto the trailer and took them to his house to dispose of them.

The deputy went to the Call house and confirmed that the dogs were killed by a gun shot.

“Yes, I shot them,” Call said in a phone interview with The Morning Sun Monday.

According to Sheriff’s department records, there have been four calls regarding Wahl’s dogs being aggressive and running loose through McCune since July 2008.

“They have been vicious dogs, and we have called the Sheriff’s department several times,” Call said. “They got after some kids, and we have had lots of problems with them.”

Call said the department has responded, but there have been other complaints and the city has sent letters to Wahl about the dogs.

“I told him that if he did not want to take care of the dogs, that I was going to shoot them the next time,” Call said. “I said that I was through playing this game and he was going to take care of them and that was back in January.”

On Jan. 12, 2009, Wahl told the department that he was getting rid of the dogs and said the dogs involved Sunday were not his.

According to McCune City Clerk Dianne Nutt, the city does have a dog ordinance that was passed in 2006.

In that ordinance (No. 496), dogs that are running at large are first subject to an impoundment and that no dogs impounded shall be “disposed of until after a minimum of three full business days of custody”

Nutt also said there is a City Superintendent that is responsible for handling dog cases.

When asked about the lawful disposal of the dogs, Call said he tried to call the City Superintendent, but was unable to reach him.

As the deputy was investigating the incident, a grass fire broke out near McCune. The deputy was needed to help shut down U.S. 400 near the site of the fire and did not arrest Call because of the imminent danger created by the grass fire.

At about 2:59 p.m., a grass fire was reported along U.S. 400. The fire consumed 300 acres and jumped 400 highway — U.S. 400 was actually closed for an hour while members of four (Neosho Township, McCune, Osage Township, West Mineral) different area fire departments helped to extinguish the fire.

Officers with the Kansas Highway Patrol helped the Crawford County Sheriff’s department close down both sides of U.S. 400 for approximately an hour.

In relation to the dog shooting case, Horton said the Crawford County Attorney’s office has been forwarded a copy of the report.

“We are requesting an affidavit for an arrest warrant [for the Mayor] and it will be up to the County Attorney’s office as to what charges are filed and how they will be filed,” Horton said.

Matthew Clark can be reached at matthew.clark@morningsun.net or at 620-231-2600, Ext. 140.