Tornados and a Bad Smell Some of My May Headlines

Tornados and people living with the carcass of a dead dog are some of the news stories that have reported on so far this month.

For those that have not been following the weather in tornado alley, you may not be aware that Oklahoma has been pounded by tornados and extremely large hail.

The fun started on May 10. On that day storms exploded on the dry line and moved east. One of the first storms moved through my county and on up into Kansas, leaving a path of destruction.

The day after I visited the northwest part of the county with our county emergency manager to look at the damage path.

At least four dwellings were destroyed, most mobile homes.

The damage site I visited used to be a trailer house. There was a slab with a few scattered cinder blocks sitting where the trailer used to reside.

The cow skull that used to sit at the front of the home was still attempting to greet visitors. The bathtub was leaning up against a tree and draped with clothes, while a jacket appeared to have been neatly hung in the fork of the tree.

Debris from the home was scatter for at least a quarter mile.

One family member said it looked like someone had put their possessions in a blender.

The two huge trees out front were split and blown over but the propane tank and a piece of farm equipment were untouched.

Fortunately in our area no injuries were reported but two people were confirmed dead in other areas of the state.

Later in the week, the Oklahoma City metro area was hit with extremely large hail, some as big as softballs.

Before storm victims could catch their breath, a major tornado outbreak hit again on May 19.

At least 20 tornados have been confirmed and the National Weather Service is still assessing the damage and information. Fortunately my area escaped harm this time.

From bad weather to bad smells.

This week I covered the story of a couple that had not disposed of a deceased dog.

The story began when the owner of the apartment complex contacted police and requested an officer to investigate a report of a "horrid odor" and flies in a window.

Upon arrival officers found the remains of a large dog.

Animal control officers responded and transported the carcass to the landfill.

Nasty was the only word they used to describe what the saw and smelled.

The couple went before the judge. The 30-year-old man told the judge that he found the remains in the basement, placed the body in a container and brought it to the apartment.

He said he had been trying to figure out what to do with the remains and that he was stupid for not doing something else with the remains.

The judge fined him the maximum amount, $750 and sent him off to jail until the fine and his unpaid fines are taken care of.

The 19-year-old girl said she really had nothing to do with the ordeal and the judge agreed. However he fined her $200 and sent her on her way.

And that is just a sample of the stories I have reported on so far in May.