By DON FLETCHER
News Staff Writer
Atmore Police Department reports show that APD patrol cruisers, with blue lights flashing and an occasional blip from a siren, followed a runaway horse from South Presley Street to Brown Street last Sunday (May 26), trying to recapture the stubborn animal, which some witnesses identified as a mule, not a horse.
The low-speed chase began when emergency dispatchers relayed reports of a horse trotting southbound in the middle of South Main Street, near McDonald’s, around 6:30 a.m.
The freewheeling farm animal reportedly headed up Lindbergh Avenue when police arrived, then turned by Escambia County High School and headed up Presley, eventually crossing U.S. 31 and heading into northeastern Atmore.
According to tongue-in-cheek reports, the slow-moving animal “was given verbal commands to stop walking, but it didn’t comply.”
Lawmen, along with Animal Control Officer Corey Flowers, followed the errant equine for “several miles,” eventually calling in additional support from civilians in an attempt to corral it.
APD Sgt. Darrell McMann said the horse, which was eventually captured, was more skilled in evasive tactics than some thought.
“Several citizens attempted to assist but were juked out of their shoes,” McMann said. “The horse was finally corralled, after a two-hour chase, on Brown Street, when its owner arrived.”
Reports show that no charges were filed against the stubborn steed, although the animal reportedly committed several traffic infractions during its period of freedom.
Atmore News photos by Ditto Gorme