Crime & Safety

Woman Shares Her Story After Doody Debacle

Susan Miller speaks out about the dog poop incident that resulted in her arrest for disorderly conduct.

Nobody likes stepping in dog poop — it's dirty, messy and stinky.

When Susan Miller set her bare foot in a pile on Wednesday night, a series of events was set in motion that culminated in her being carted off to jail on a disorderly conduct charge.

Miller wants people to know she is not crazy. What she is, is an animal lover and that is how the dog-poop debacle began, in a feline frenzy searching for a friend's cat.

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Miller was sitting on her apartment balcony when her friend's cat got outside, misjudged the balcony and landed on the ground. Miller said she didn't hesitate to go after the cat, though barefoot, and once outside stepped in the poop.

"Do you know how bad it feels?" Miller's friend Debbie Escalera said. "And then it goes between your toes."

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After she realized she stepped in the mess, Miller, a 43-year-old tax accountant, attempted to get her neighbor's attention. She said she knocked on the door to ask the woman about the poop and tell her she needed to clean it up, but the woman wouldn't answer.

"She wouldn't go to the door, so I went and got the sign (asking residents to clean up after pets) and grabbed the (dog poop) bags and wrapped the bags around the shrubs," Miller said.

The last thing she expected was that the cops would be called and she'd get arrested.

She disputes the police report, which stated she threw feces. She claims she never did. If she smeared any poop it was that which was covering her foot, and she was just trying to get it off.

"I didn't throw anything."

And aside from wiping the poop off her foot she didn't try a smear campaign either.

"It really escalated," she said. "I am not a crazy woman. When they said 'Susan we are going to arrest you,' I couldn't believe it."

After her arrest, Miller spoke with her neighbor and apologized, she really didn't mean any harm, she said, claiming she really just wanted to talk to her neighbor and tell her that she needs to clean up after her two dogs.

"I wouldn't have gotten so mad if she had opened the door," she said.

Miller said she asked the police at the time of her arrest to fine her neighbor, but the police couldn't do that, she said.

"Things are never going to change, people are always going to leave the poop," she said.

As she was being released from police custody she was told that in the future she should alert the apartment complex or call the police. She said she has complained in the past. After the poop incident she called her apartment management again and a letter was sent to all residents asking them to clean up after their dogs.

Aside from complaining, she said, "What am I gonna do? I'm not going to call the police."

At least one neighbor in the complex has a lawn sign reminding residents to pick up after their dogs.

Miller and Escalera agreed that if they can pick up after their dogs and if other neighbors can take the time to do so, everyone should make the effort, especially since the apartment allows pets, provides bags and garbage cans.

"It's just common decency," Miller said. "Please pick up after your dog."


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