HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Two Reno County sheriff's deputies are coming under some social media fire for the way they allegedly handled a situation regarding a crippled farm animal. The department released a statement regarding the incident Tuesday morning:
“We are aware of a video showing a couple of our Deputies who responded to a call of an injured calf in Western Reno County. This video is narrated by a passerby who attempted to help the animal until the owners got to the scene. A case was made by the Deputies on scene and as of now is still being investigated, however there is a possibility that nothing wrong occurred. The optics of farming and ranching are sometimes not pretty, a lot of people take for granted the work that is done by our farmers and ranchers and the sometimes-difficult decisions that they must make. Farmers and ranchers love their livestock and land, they do not do what they do for the money, they do it as stewards of the land. In Law Enforcement we come under scrutiny often enough to know not to take this bashing personal, we also are required to make difficult decisions that are hard for some to understand. We also love the land where we work and try to make it a safe place for everyone who lives here and passes through.”
The department indicated the incident happened Sunday evening and was filmed by a passerby who then posted it on social media.