[SIC] CITY

Illustration by Rob Weiss

Credit: News Channel Nebraska

‘HOWDY DOODY, OFFICER!’

A hobbyist rancher taking a drive to scout a parade in a nearby Nebraska town brought a 2,200-pound bull passenger along named Howdy Doody in a tricked-out Crown Victoria.

While moseying along the highway at 35 MPH as other cars whooshed by at 65MPH, the massive beast piqued the curious of local law enforcement.

Once pulled over, Lee Meyer said he was greeted with a chilly reception.

“He just wanted to know what I was up to, he'd never seen anything like that of course and asked to see my license and my insurance and he went back to his car,” the 63-year-old told MMM in an exclusive interview.

While idling, Meyer was hoping to settle longhorn companion with some of his favorite alfalfa treats “to keep him happy” but was told to stay put.

That’s when another cop arrived and issued a stern warning: Take your livestock on wheels and dangle.

“Another officer came along and told me to get out of the car. He and I just visited on the sidewalk there while officer number one wrote a warning, I guess, and then they told me I needed to get out of town straightaway… I got a warning for [an] unsecured load and an overloaded front seat.

The man was hoping to perform some recon in the town of Norfolk in lieu of its Octoberfest parade that is scheduled to take place the end of September.

“Actually, I saw I told him about the parade they were having a couple in a month or whatever and maybe I'd like to come to that and that they sure said I was welcome to be in the parade, but I wasn't too welcome to drive on the street. So it's kind of a little contradictory there because how do you drive and get to the parade without driving on the street?”

…

The following is the transcription (edited for accuracy and brevity) of Meyer’s account of his traffic stop and why he believes he was given the heave-ho from Norfolk police.

Credit: News Channel Nebraska

TRANSCRIPT

MURDERS MAYHEM MALFEASANCE: So um so what what what is have you ever done this before is this something that new or did you just outfit your car and what happened?

LEE MEYER: Oh i've done it for many years probably seven years probably six seven years to different parades around this is the first time i've gone to that town though okay so so you're you do it locally yeah uh well within 80 miles i've gone 80 miles from my home area.

MMM: Okay. And so you're, and just so I'm clear, like, are you, you're based in what, La Vista?

LM: No, a little podunk town in Neligh, Nebraska.

MMM: Neligh. Okay. So you're from Neligh, Nebraska and you drive your, is it a Cadillac?

LM: No, it's an old police car, Crown Victoria. Oh, that's an old, okay.

MMM: ‘Do you think it’s safe to drive with that big of a load?’

LM: ‘You know, I will say it's, it's possibly a little bit of that just for the speed, but I put my flashers on, you know, when cars are coming up behind me, cause like I said, I'm going 30 miles an hour, other vehicles are going 65. So that's probably the biggest safety hazard. Yeah. I'll say that straight out. Yeah. It's just a slow-moving vehicle on, on the road, you know.’

MMM: So it's like an outfitted Crown Victoria. What year?

LM: It's a 96 — 1996. And I bought it used from Arnold, Nebraska was the name of the town I brought it from it was a working police car. I just did a little modification there.

MMM: Gotcha. So what did you do to modify it? Just so I understand?

LM: Well, I got half the cab off and reinforce the suspension and welded iron to the frame. And reinforce the floor put a gate on the side to hold him in and that's about it.

MMM: Okay and and you said you've been in parades before so this isn't like the first respectfully no this isn't your first rodeo literally yeah you've actually done this before

LM: you just google go to google and put in longhorn in card you'll find numerous numerous videos.

MMM: what's it called?

LM: It's Longhorn in car. Longhorn in car. Okay. Or Longhorn goes for a ride.

MMM: Yep.

LM: All sorts of, we've been on Good Morning America.

MMM: Okay.

LM: Jeff Foxworthy.

MMM: So you've been on TV before. So you, this was the first, why were you just, what happened today?

MMM: What were you doing today that caused you to have to?

LM: It was not a parade. I just went for a drive. They're going to have a parade in, I think it's next month or October, September, October, they have a parade. I was just gonna test it out, you know, see how we went down there. And, uh, I just drove downtown and, and then the police pulled me over.

MMM: So, so who's the bull? What's his name?

LM: Howdy. Howdy doody.

MMM: Howdy. How old is he?

LM: Uh, eight or nine. Eight or nine. I believe.

MMM: Okay. And what kind, may I ask, is there a type of bull he is?I don't want to be naive here, but.

LM: It's a steer. It's a steer and he's half Longhorn, half Watusi.

MMM: Okay.

LM: Watusi is an African breed. That's where he gets the large diameter from.

MMM: Got it. Um, and have you had him since he was born or have you, did you?

LM: Oh, he was about nine months old when I got him.

MMM: Okay. Um, so he's pretty big. I mean, have you weighed him?

LM: He's around 2,200 pounds.

MMM: And that, that was able to be held in a car?

LM: Well, yes sir.

MMM: And you, he, he, he rides in the front?

LM: On the side, the passenger side.

MMM: How does he, does he stand or is he squatting?

LM: No, no, no, no. He's standing. He's standing.

MMM: Okay.

LM: Yup. He has to stand. Yup.

MMM: And does he, I mean, I'm trying to get a gauge of this, but how does he react to the driving? I mean, does he ever get restless or?

LM: Nope. He just turns his head from side to side and looks around and he likes to go over bridges and look at rivers and whatnot. Yup. He does really well.

MMM: What's really well, sorry?

LM: Yes, he does really well. He just turns his head from side to side and looks around.

MMM: Do you give him a sedative or something just in case?

LM: Absolutely not. No, absolutely not.

MMM: I'm only asking. I just care. I don't know. I, my thinking would be from an outsider, just that he could jump out of the car and just, or gore something, you even.

LM: He has a rope around a halter around his head and he's all tied, but not tight at the head, but that's it. And then just a gate on the side and a back window holds the back end and away we go.

MMM: How fast do you drive?

LM: 30 miles an hour.

MMM: Okay. So, so this was it this morning that you got pulled over?

LM: Yes, probably around 10 o'clock.

MMM: Okay. And and um had you ever I'm just trying to get a gauge of this you said you drive locally with him in the car i mean do you drive like every other day or every week or every month or no he probably actually gets in the car we go maybe six times a year okay he actually rides in the car we go to events or whatever and and um when today so you're driving and did you see police cars or did what happened?

LM: Well, when I got about 10 miles from Norfolk, the town there, there was a, it's called News Channel Nebraska, kind of a news outlet thing. I see their vehicle following along beside me, behind me, in front of me, filming a lot, pulling over as I went by and stuff. And then as I got into town, I went on downtown and that same vehicle was kind of either.

MMM: Well, so what happened when you got pulled over? I mean, did they, what did they tell you? Like, how did it go?

LM: Oh, he just wanted to know what I was up to, he'd never seen anything like that of course and asked to see my license and my insurance and he went back to his car and I was going to get out and give Howdy some little treats to keep him happy and the officer told me to stay in my car so I went back to my car.

MMM: What kind of treats were you going to get him?

LM: Oh they're just cattle cubes or cattle cake they call them, they're just kind of alfalfa and grain pressed into a pellet.

MMM: Okay, so they told you to stay in the car and then what happened next?

LM: Another officer came along and told me to get out of the car. He and I just visited on the sidewalk there while officer number one wrote a warning, I guess, and then they told me I needed to get out of town straightaway. I kind of wanted to go down a different street, but they — I got out of town and I headed on home. I live about 35 miles from North Polk. I got a warning for unsecured load and an overloaded front seat. Actually, I saw I told him about the parade they were having a couple in a month or whatever and maybe I'd like to come to that and that they sure said I was welcome to be in the parade, but I wasn't too welcome to drive on the street. So it's kind of a little contradictory there because how do you drive and get to the parade without driving on the street? It doesn't matter because I might go back anyways.

MMM: Are you going to go to the parade? Are you now?

LM: No, I'm not. No, I'm not. There are plenty of other pleasant towns around. I don’t need any hassle. They don’t want me there. There’s plenty of town that will enjoy it.

News Channel Nebraska

MMM: Do you think it’s safe to drive with that big of a load? I know you do it, but just to ask…

LM: You know, I will say it's, it's possibly a little bit of that just for the speed, but I put my flashers on, you know, when cars are coming up behind me, cause like I said, I'm going 30 miles an hour, other vehicles are going 65. So that's probably the biggest safety hazard. Yeah. I'll say that straight out. Yeah. It's just a slow-moving vehicle on, on the road, you know.

MMM: But you're not worried about like, I mean, I'm just, just putting this out there, the axle breaking and the bottom of the car coming out and just a big disaster that could happen?

LM: Nope, I've reinforced under the car and no, I'm not worried about that.

MMM: I mean, okay, because I mean, that's, yeah, it just seems like a lot of a lot of pounds in that.

LM: Oh, you oughta see my wife.

MMM: Oh, boy. Okay, so so so how old are you, by the way?

LM: Oh, I'm old enough no better to change my ways. Yeah, I'm 63.

MMM: 63?

LM: Yes sir.

MMM: And what do you do for, are you a farmer?

LM: I'm a, I'm a hobby rancher. Hobby rancher.

MMM: Okay.

LM: Retired. Retired.

MMM: Okay. Do you have other, uh, other steer or other bulls?

LM: Oh, I've got a longhorn heifer and then I've got a few bison.

MMM: Oh, you have a couple of bison?

LM: Six bison. Six bison.

MMM: Wow. What's the other heifer's name?

LM: Uh, Maybel. Maybel.

MMM: So do you plan, I'm just asking, do you plan on getting Howdy to procreate and make more?

LM: No, he's a steer, he's been fixed, that ain't gonna happen.

MMM: Oh, he's been fixed, okay, sorry, I didn't realize that, okay. And just asking, has he ever gotten aggressive, or has he ever, I mean, I don't know, like, have you ever seen that out of him, or?

LM: Oh, I've been hit by the horns, but I wouldn't call it really aggressive, just like, you know, swinging at flies and stuff, or, you know, Yeah you know as long as you reach out it's like getting hit with a baseball bat when he hits you but I mean he's not attacking you you know or and if you know you as you get hit you might curse at him pretty hard he puts his head down like a dog does you know like a dog when you scold him you know he and turns around walks away yeah.

MMM: Okay and I mean when you talked to the police though, it was police or was it sheriffs? It was police, right? Norfolk Police?

LM: Yep.

MMM: Norfolk Police Department.

LM: Yep.

MMM: What was their... I mean, they basically said, get out of town straightaway. Those were their words?

LM: Yep.

MMM: Okay.

LM: Take the shortest distance, get out of town.

‘He's alright. He's never been a problem. He's never attempted to get out of the car. He's mild.’

MMM: And you said what? Did you say you'd like to stay? Or what was your goal?

LM: I mean... Well, I just wanted to take a different... I wanted to drive through one more part of town on my way out, but it wouldn't have been the shortest distance. It'd have been another... half mile in town and they said no you're gonna go straight out of town and then they followed me out of town and escorted me out of town which that's whatever but your main goal just so I understand your main goal was to just see the the town in advance of this parade correct kind of doing like some recon yep and what's the parade is it like a special parade are they is it deemed about an October fest parade or something like that thank god I like so.

MMM: Lastly, just, I mean, have you ever had problems with the authorities before or is this the first time?

LM: No, this will be the first time.

MMM: And I just have to add, have you ever had any run-ins with the law? I'm not blaming you, I'm just curious. Have you ever had, like... You mean just... Just in general?

LM: Just, I don't know, have you ever had... Oh, sure, I've had speeding tickets and the like, yep.

MMM: Okay, in this car or, you know, like another car?

LM: No, not in this car, no.

MMM: And so this is the first time when you've been with Howdy that you've had a problem. And did they issue a summons?

LM: On the way to this town, you know, like I said, I'm 35 miles away, so I'm halfway there and there's a state patrolman parked alongside the road watching for, you know, back of the road, just a hair, watching for speeders or whatever. I go right by him and he doesn't, you know, he doesn't pull me over or anything. Just today.

MMM: Do you think some of the local police probably know you and they probably know Howdy, but I mean, you go out of town.

LM: Correct.

MMM: And you got the sense that you're not welcome back there unless it's a parade. That's what you're feeling.

LM: I got more than the feeling of that. That's what I was told. If I go back, I'm going to get a ticket. They're going to confiscate what I got.

MMM: Would they put Howdy in some kind of a, would they take Howdy from you?

LM: I really don't know. I don't know how they would do that. Yeah. But, uh, yeah.

MMM: So you tricked out your car. Is this your only car that you have that you that you've outfitted for?

LM: Correct. Yes. This is the only parade car I've got.

MMM: And what do you I guess I'd ask you this: Do you think the cops were wrong? I mean, do you think everybody's overreacting?What's the what's your take on that?

LM (laughing): That’s not for me to say. They got their business to do. I’ve got my business to do. But I do enjoy people coming to my aid on their little social media stuff, you know.

MMM: Have you had people reach out saying, ‘It’s OK’ or ‘You’re not hurting anybody.’

LM: Yes, very much so.

MMM: You think people should know though, just so that there's no misconceptions, like you're just a guy driving.

LM: He's… right. He's never been a problem. He's never attempted to get out of the car. He's mild. Where he comes from is where he was born. Just give you a little off. The guy's breeding stock goes through an IQ test when they're four or six months old or whatever. And they get graded on an IQ test and then they have so much time, six, eight months, whatever it is, to show X amount of improvement or they're down the road and there's nobody hitting anything with a stick. There's nobody hitting anything with a hot shot. They're walking around on a rope or, you know, they're guided and they're jumping out of the trailers on their own. You know, it's just a different way of doing things. Like I said, the breeding stock is given an IQ test and No matter how good their horns are or what they do, they have to pass the IQ test or they're gone. So it's just a different way of doing things.

MMM: Is he high on the IQ test? Did he score high?

LM: Well, he's not breeding stocks. He probably wasn't exposed to that. But, but that's just an example of what all the stock there goes, you know, is about. But it's just a different way of doing things. Yeah, no, he's, I won't say he's harmless because he does swing his head, but you know, I mean, if those horns hit you, it's going to hurt, but he's never got out of the car. He's never kicked me. He's never, no.

MMM: Have you thought of the idea of maybe like putting or shaving them down so that they're soft?

LM: They're not sharp.

MMM: I'm just thinking like, or putting some kind of clip.

LM: Absolutely not. Absolutely not.

MMM: Okay.

LM: Keep him the way he is.

MMM: Okay.

LM: I know I'm just asking just because I, you know, safer, I guess, but or putting like cork or something on the end of I don't know what what they do.

MMM: Is there something you can put at the end of them so you don't get gored?

LM: I not that I'm aware of.

MMM: Okay. All right. Well, it seems like it seems like you're pretty like, like, you know, this is a pretty harmless thing. It just got a little bit —

LM: If there's something else going on this fall, I probably will. There were a few things going on last weekend I couldn't go to due to funerals and the like. No, this hasn't changed my policy at all, except that I will not go back to that town, to Norfolk. No, I'm not welcome there. That's fine. Like I said, there's plenty of other towns around that do enjoy it.

MMM: And you're like a favorite at these parades; everybody knows Howdy and they know your car.

LM: You bet.

MMM: All right. Have you ever gone out of state or do you always stay in Nebraska?

LM: No. No, I've never gone out of state.

MMM: Gotcha. I'm thrilled to meet you. And they didn't give you any written like like warning or anything. It was just a verbal.

LM: No, I got a written written warning. Oh, you did. And I signed a paper. Yep.

MMM: Oh, okay. Wow. So they actually made it kind of official. Okay. Interesting. All right.

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