Another local case is being reported of false information provided regarding location of a stray animal.
Last Saturday, June 7th, Storm Lake Police officers were called to Lake Animal Hospital regarding someone who attempted to turn in a stray dog. 65-year-old Laura Kirchner claimed she found a dog running at large within Storm Lake city limits the previous day.
On Wednesday of this week, Lake Animal Hospital staff notified police that the dog was recently reported as being a stray in the Marathon area. After investigating the incident, police allege the dog was found at large in Marathon, and was taken in as a foster animal by Kirchner on or about last Friday, June 6th. Police allege Kirchner attempted to turn the dog into Lake Animal Hospital and falsely claimed to police the dog was found running at large within Storm Lake City limits.
Kirchner was charged with False Reports to Law Enforcement, a simple misdemeanor. She was taken into custody Wednesday, and was booked into the Buena Vista County Jail on a three hundred dollar bond.
Storm Lake Assistant Police Chief Patrick Diekman provided a statement clarifying the department’s procedure in cases like this…
Dog and cat city code regulations can be found at https://www.stormlake.org/240/City-Code in chapters 8-3 and 8-4.
Diekman doesn’t believe false report incidents with stray animals have been a big problem recently beyond the two cases that were released this week.
