Malden mayor’s newsletter relays dog poisoning threat

When Roxanne Hartman received her monthly newsletter enclosed with her Malden utility bill, she became angry. It was not her normal reaction.

Mayor Ted Maxwell’s newsletter referred to a phone call the mayor’s wife received from a man who’s tired of “loose dogs knocking over his garbage can and scattering trash while eating the choice tidbits. He is tired of picking up the mess. He wants all of you to know he intends to poison the trash in order to kill the dogs,” Maxwell’s report said.

“I am livid about this mayor not contacting the sheriff,” Hartman said. She said she considered the unknown resident’s plan to poison his trash a threat.

Maxwell went on to also advise “all of you should know by now my attitude about chicken-eating, cattle chasing, poop on the neighbor’s lawn dogs. I don’t know why this person wants everyone to be aware of his intentions. That seems a bit weird. Anyway, I do believe this guy could be serious, so again I remind pet owners the town ordinances require you to control your pets. Poison can be a slow and terrible way for your pet to die.”

Hartman said she has six dogs and keeps them in a fenced yard. “They never get out,” she said. “They are my second family.”

“Wonder if a little kid got in that,” she said. “They should have the sheriff’s department investigate.”

“I don’t have a problem with the mayor, he’s done a good job,” she said.

Hartman said she sent the letter to the Whitman County Humane Society, who forwarded it on to the sheriff’s department.

Whitman County Sheriff Brett Myers said his office is monitoring the situation.

“Obviously it’s a concern,” he said. “As far as constituting a crime, it doesn’t.”

However, the sheriff added that poisoning an animal is a crime.

“We have had no actual complaints and no reports of sick animals,” Myers said.

He also said a couple of Malden residents also contacted his office about the poison threat listed in the mayor’s newsletter.

“We’ll keep in contact with the mayor and humane society,” Myers said.

Humane society shelter director Brittany Bryant credited Mayor Maxwell with at least getting the notice out to residents.

“It definitely worries people, but maybe it would make people think about their dog’s safety, to keep them on a leash and in a fenced yard,” she said.

“At the same time, it might cause a bit of panic in everyone,” she said.

“We recommended to her (Hartman) to contact the sheriff,” Bryant said. “If anyone is aware of any threats like this, they should contact the sheriff.”

Maxwell did not return phone calls from the Gazette.