I received a very kind e-mail from Sheriff Mike Sharp, Jackson County,
Missouri. I have not yet gotten a response from him about quoting his
words (been CRAZY here and took me a few hours to get back to ask him).
Going to try to paraphrase it. If he gets back to me soon, I'll send
original along.

He thanked me for the e-mail I sent him last night. He said he
personally talked with Chief Ambrose. Sheriff Sharp believes Ambrose
and his officers have done a thorough job of investigating and have
turned evidence to Jackson Co Prosecutor's Office and that it will be
up to the prosecutor to determine "how and when any tests" will be done
on the ferret.

He went on to say how "emotionally moved" the officers were.....

He gave me the phone number for Jackson Co Prosecutor's Office
1-816-881-3000

That number got answered by a long message machine. Then got a person
in prosecutor's office (must have been a receptionist and didn't sound
like the sharpest knife in the drawer, BUT I was polite to her). She
would NOT let me talk to prosecutor or any of his deputies (BTW, his
name is Jim Kanatzar). She wanted to know what I was calling about. I
told her what and why. She listened and made me repeat about wanting
the stomach contents analyzed by a capable, knowledgeable, non-partisan
third party. Those big words went WAY over her head......long pause.
She says, "Why would you want to do that??!" and I give a little thing
on just doesn't seem..... She says, "And this is a dog?" No, ma'am,
it's a ferret. A WHAT!? It's a ferret, ma'am. A WHAT?? A
Feeerrrrrrrrrreeeetttttttt. A FERRET?? Yes, ma'am (and I guarantee you
that woman has no clue what a ferret is)....(or maybe it's just a bad
"3G" connection they are always advertising....but don't think so).

She finally connected me to the Public Relations Office. There I spoke
to a Velda Cook. She was very kind and had more sense. I had to go thru
the whole thing again. Had a little problem getting thru to her that we
want to verify that it wasn't some other animal (size of ferrets...the
way they eat....she apparently has never met one either) or a person
that did it. She told me she had heard NOTHING at all about the
incident, but she will call me back when she learns something.

BTW, the only way I got either one to listen to me, I believe, is that
I told them I was calling from here. A long-distance call gets their
attention. They both go, "you're calling from WHERE?" and one of them
even made me spell it. I also told them I know of at least 2329 people
(thanks for the stats BIG) following this on a daily basis. "People not
just in the US, but in the world."

Here is the address
Jim Kanatzar, Chief Prosecutor, Jackson County Courthouse,
415 East 12th Street, Kansas City, MO 64106
(phone 1-816-881-3000, but I wouldn't recommend it unless you hav
a LOT of rollover minutes saved up - just kidding).

Donna, still in Henderson and Evansville

[Posted in FML 6955]