Sheriff’s deputies, volunteers corral 2,000-pound bull after I-70 romp

Putnam County Sheriff's Deputy Anthony Brown follows a stray bull after it made its way onto Interstate 70 Saturday afternoon in Putnam County. Brown, Cpl. Scott Ducker and some volunteers who stopped were able to get the bull off the interstate before any damage was done.

Courtesy Putnam Sheriff's Office

CLOVERDALE -- Calling it “the most Midwestern Indiana police call ever,” Putnam County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded Saturday afternoon to a call about -- wait for it -- a bull walking along Interstate 70 in Putnam County.

“Betcha don’t see that call too often in New York or Los Angeles,” suggested Cpl. Scott Ducker, the department public information officer. “That’s right, we had to shut down part of the interstate to retrieve a bull that had escaped its pasture.”

The incident began about 12:30 p.m Saturday near the 39-mile marker of I-70, approximately two miles west of Cloverdale.

Just prior to the arrival of officers, some good-samaritan motorists had stopped and were able to hustle the big bull back off the interstate and onto the side of the road before anything bad could happen.

“Fortunately two of our motorists that stopped grew up on a farm and knew how to help,” Ducker added. “Sgt. Anthony Brown is also skilled in bovine apprehension himself. As for me, well, let’s just say I grew up in Bloomington. Not a lot of cows there. I gave everyone else moral support and kept the traffic slowed down.”

After an hour of running back and forth chasing the bull, officers and volunteers were finally able to get the bull back into its neighboring pasture.

No charges are pending at this time for the bull, officers said with a grin.

“Just a side note,” Ducker offered on the department’s Facebook page. “Something I learned today. Nothing gets your adrenaline going quite like staring face to face with a 2,000-pound bull who’s obviously frightened and starts trotting straight toward you. Like most people, I was always taught you should comply with the police. Apparently bulls don’t care.”

Deputy Ducker also offered a “huge thank you” to the two motorists who stopped and helped.

The I-70 escapade got wide area publicity as Sheriff Scott Stockton said even Indianapolis police officers were texting him to say they’d heard there was “a whole lotta bull” going on out here.