Everyone-- Mike McDowell has officially been fired from the Sheriff's Department. The reasons he was given for his termination were that he was, "... no longer reliable, not honest, and was uncooperative." This in spite of the fact that the judge decided he was NOT in contempt of court. He has not been found guilty of any crime nor proven to have taken part in any activity that defies the law. The only thing they COULD say truthfully about him is that he refused to jump up and take his animal to be killed based on a phone call from a person who refused to identify himself or state what authority empowered him to make such demands. Instead Mike offered to pay for quarantine and such tests as can be performed on a live animal at a vet of his choosing and then have the animal put down if the vet even thought it acted funny. None of this is directly involved in Mike's job, and there has been no law broken to be able to say that he is unsuitable as a law officer. Mike is really down over this. He has been to the Unemployment Offices, and they told him that if the paperwork they send to the Sheriff comes back with the reasons stated to Mike listed on it, he will be unemployable-- no one they work with will give him a job. In addition to that, he will most likely be ineligible for unemployment benefits if the above reasons are listed. And the topper is that even if he moves away from Kansas, he will never be employable in his field again. No law enforcement agency will ever hire him, nor will any security firm/position. The only related job I can think of that might overlook statements like those of the sheriff are private investigators. And of course the best of those probably wouldn't have him either. Mike is so down about it all that he was having a hard time convincing himself to get out and get the grievance process against the Sheriff's Office started. They can't afford to finance a personal legal battle against the that office, but they are trying once again to interest the ACLU in assisting them. I won't hold my breath-- when they tried before, they couldn't get past the secretary-- she'd just say, "They wouldn't be interested in that." Paul asked specifically about the mention Rita made in her letter of losing their house. He said they'd already been to see the judge over it, and they'd been given a specific number of months to get payments caught up before they'd be forced out. Mike says there's no way they can make it in time, so they are preparing to move. There is a nationally broadcast newsmagazine type show that wants to pick up their story. It's called American Journal, but no one seems to know what network it runs on! They talked to the producer of the show and told him that the only way they'd do it is if there was absolutely nothing negative about ferrets or themselves in the segment. Producer guarantees that they'd have no need to be concerned on that front, but I don't know when this might get taped and aired. I'll try to keep y'all updated on that. So that's where it stands. The last info on the amounts of money coming in to help them was pretty sad. Through a post over Internet mail, Mike McDowell had told someone that they had received about $300 dollars in donations, and Ann Davis' ACME Ferret Co. sent $100, though I don't know if the former amount is inclusive of the latter. AFA (I think) also sent $100 dollars. So at best, that comes to $500. The last quote on their attorney's bills was $8700, and that is a few weeks old. No wonder Mike is depressed! Ann Davis of LIFE has given permission to have checks made out to LIFE and designated for the McDowells' Ferret Defense Fund. Any funds collected in this manner will be forwarded to the McDowells in the form of a check written to Mike & Rita McDowell, because the state of Kansas doesn't allow anyone but the individual to pay the individual's attorney. This is why the original postings said to send money directly to the McDowells. Mike still wants to include Rita's phone number and address, because Mike has said that they want it posted, possibility of garbage calls and mail be darned. Thanks for the continued interest! Everyone-- Debra received a letter from Rita McDowell 2 weeks ago. She was writing in response to the letter requesting permission to write an article on their situation for her local club's newsletter and info to share with you guys. Instead of trying to paraphrase and get it all right, I'm going upload a copy of Debra's letter from Rita: __________________________________ Dear Debra, Thank you for your show of support and I would be delighted for you to write an article on our ordeal because this could happen to anyone. On 12-11-93 a Kansas Power & Light worker came to relight our furnace after a gas leak in town. My 13 year old daughter was home alone and they were walking around the house shining their lights. She was petrified and called me at work and I had her call 911. Her father was a deputy at the time. They finally came to the door, showed no ID, no uniform, & came in to do their job. They both were dirty and petted my dog, cat, then asked about my ferrets which were in their cages at the time. He asked to see one & Megan took one out "Longtail" and was holding it, cuddling it around her neck. He stuck his hand out and Megan said, "Longtail clamped down and I tapped his head and he released." The man laughed and said, "I'm going to sue you!" There was no puncture wound, no blood seen by my daughter. He left and continued working for hours on other houses. Three days later he went to a doctor for a tetanus shot via company policy and the doctor reported to KDHE a bite. On 12-15-93 I get a phone call from the county saying to take our ferret to be killed (we had the brothers since they were 3 days old.) My husband offered to quarantine the ferret for 30 days, offered to let a vet do a saliva and tactile hair test, but the state does not recognize those tests. Kris Bisgard, a vet on loan to the state, called me at work and stated that my ferret was a wild animal like a wolf and was to be destroyed. I tried to reason with her saying that we all have received bites and we did not have rabies, her statement was that we were all probably immune. She said the difference between domesticated animals and wild is that there were vaccines for domesticated! Marvin S. Hattlemeyer from KDHE called my house, berated my husband, threatened to kill both my ferrets. Longtail was handicapped-- he was missing a back foot, while George had no tail. A kid at work offered to take Longtail, so I took him to work and he took him out of my car. After 2 days I told him that I didn't want him involved and brought Longtail home. Seven days after the alleged bite I took Longtail to the vet and he was in perfect health. In court this was inadmissable being hearsay, and the vet's records were also hearsay! I had quite a few calls saying to keep the ferrets with me at all times, so when I had to get my hair cut I put them in a cage and took them with me. Well they were taken again from my car, but I really don't know who did it or where they were or are now. On Friday the 17 KDHE called in the afternoon and said for us to appear at district court Tues at 9:00 AM and we better find an attorney. Great due process of law time of one working day! The court was never given any proof of a bite or victim. The judge, Tracy Klingingsmith said that the states credentials were enough. We were told that we had no right to know the victim's name or to see any medical records. The alleged victim and his employer kept saying (through his employer) that they wanted no action taken against us and he was refusing rabies shots. Our attorney met with us 20 minutes before court and told us that if he lost, he was off the case. The actual filing for a hearig was *15* minutes before court! Within hours after the trial we were served with contempt papers ordering us to find & surrender the animal that I had testified under oath that I did not know where it was and it disappeared before a court order was issued. My husband's employer (Pott. County Sheriff Dept.) called and suspended him without pay for willfully disobeying a court order, they made comments to the press about us being unbelievable, and that they see pink pigs flying in their parking lots. My son's car was vandalized, and he was laid off. I am trying to support a family of 5 on $4.70 per hour. Well, we found another lawyer who asked for a rehearing, and represented us in contempt court. (Oh, yeah, we tried to submit into court the IMRAB #3 vaccine and the state acknowledged it, but the judge still ruled against us.) My husband was found not in contempt of court, but I was in indirect contempt and ordered to pay for rabies shots. Mike still is not reinstated and was told that he will probably be terminated. The sheriff has to think about it. I called KP&L and they said that he started the shots between Dec 25 and Jan 1, well past the 10 days that the state said he HAD to start. KP&L is doing this privately at no expense t me. They told me before that the state was putting alot of pressure on them and that they could not afford to lose any political ties. I do not personally believe that there are any shots being given-- no necessity. HDHE put a press release out stating that I owe $1200 for the victim's medical cost and the newspapers printed only the state's side, and not what my attorney said. The judge said that there was no reason to find and sacrifice (KILL) my ferret, but the state said they were going to find and kill him! I owe the first lawyer $1200+ which I am questioning, and the second lawyer $7500 all for not breaking the law. The state used me to make a point and if *I* had the money I would definitely go back to court. My family and I have suffered terribly, to the point of losing our home. I am not hearing much from people in support and we are emotionally as well as financially drained. We do not have a transcript and neither does my attorney. It costs $2 per page and the court says it will be 300+ pages long. [I had asked if they had a copy of the decision or the transcript and offered to pay to get a copy of it-- obviously I can't do $600 though!-- Debra] The state is supposed to furnish the judge's decision to my attorney, and if I get one, I will forward a copy if would like. I do appreciate your support and concern and I am not done fighting. We had 2 letters from the Ks Dept. of Wildlife & Game and the Dept. of Agriculture classifying ferrets as domesticated which the court would not accept. KDHE has called pet stores threatening to kill their ferrets if they nip anyone. This whole ordeal is ridiculous! They claim victory in the paper but they are only victorious in destroying a family financially. They do not have my ferrets, so they must still be alive. That's one victory for me. I'm sure that I have left something out so feel free to call if you have any more questions and again THANKS. Rita McDowell (913) 889-7180 P.S.-- Please excuse the mistakes, I wrote fast to try to get it all down. ____________________________________________________________ If you can send something to help them out, there is a fund being collected by LIFE (League of Independent Ferret Enthusiasts) to help cover the McDowells' legal expenses. Checks may be made out to LIFE, with a notation at the lower left that the money is to go to the McDowells' Ferret Defense Fund. Don't make the check itself out to the Defense Fund, as LIFE only maintains one checking account. The address to mail donations to is: LIFE c/o Ann Davis 9330 Old Burke Lake Road Burke, VA 22015 Since times are tough, not everyone can contribute money, but surely we can all handle the price of a stamp and a letter to let them know we're concerned for them? I notice that the return address on Rita's letter is different than the one I had previously, and with her comment about losing their house, they may have had to move. The address on the envelope is: Rita McDowell Box 432 Onaga, KS 66521 The address and phone number are posted at the McDowells' request after they were warned that it is accessable to ANY of the users. Hoping we'll all write soon-- Debra As you can see, reprinted by REQUEST!! HELP THESE PEOPLE FOLKS!! anne in chicago [Posted in FML issue 0721]