Omaha, NE (UPS) Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert became the first Omaha mayor to give a citizen an award for bravery and then demand the award be returned a few hours later.
Four-year-old Luke Douglas, a Dundee resident, was recognized in a mayoral office ceremony for saving the lives of Jim and June Logan. While the Logans were at work on July 15, a natural gas leak developed in their house on 52nd Street. In her proclamation naming Saturday “Luke Douglas Day,” Mayor Stothert noted that Luke Douglas alerted the fire department to the gas leak at mid-morning, and the fire department was able to minimize property damage and prevent any injuries from occurring.
At 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, an anonymous tipster told Mayor Stothert that Luke Douglas, known as 'Crazy Luke' in his neighborhood, had actually caused the Logan house to explode by lighting fireworks near the house. Mayor Stothert quickly called a press conference.
“This morning I awarded a medal of bravery to four-year-old Luke Douglas. I have since learned that Luke is a constant threat to the safety of Dundee residents. He may be the most dangerous person on the streets of Omaha. I have requested that he return his medal and immediately report to the city jail. I have directed the city attorney to make up whatever charges are needed to keep him in jail for several months.”
A few hours later, police reported engaging in a low-speed chase of a Honda minivan allegedly driven by Crazy Luke. At press time, he still had not been arrested. However, his fireworks-supplying father released a video on Crazy Luke's blogsite, www.CrazyLukeSpeaks.com. Sporting a grumpy face and speaking like most four-year-old boys do, Crazy Luke responded to Stothert's accusations by saying, "She wrong. Me not bad. My daddy say polipootions lie all time."
Jack and Noah’s Big Day by Jay Slagle is available for $9.99 at the Bookworm bookstore at 8702 Pacific in Omaha or on-line at Amazon. Learn more about the book at www.jayslagle.com. Follow his ‘20 Days of Stupid’ project from November 23rd thru December 12th on Twitter (JaySlagleWrites), Instagram (JaySlagleWrites), Facebook (JackAndNoahsBigDay) and his website (www.jayslagle.com). The book is available for reservations at the Omaha Public Library.