Shot Greets Poll Worker Census Employee Says Lincoln County Man Fired Weapon, Then Pointed It At Her As She Left

Thu., March 30, 2000

By Rob McDonald robm@spokesman.com

At least one household in Lincoln County will not be visited again by the U.S. Census Bureau.

A man living in a remote area fired a shot from his rifle and aimed his weapon at a census worker last week, according to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office.

Assault charges will be forwarded to the Lincoln County prosecutor’s office, but charges will depend on what the FBI does, Undersheriff Wade Magers said. The FBI also investigating because the worker is a federal employee, he said.

The census employee works in the Davenport office and was going door-to-door early last week about 10 miles north of Reardan, Magers said.

When she approached a remote home’s front door, a man yelled to ask what she wanted, Magers said. She explained she worked with the census and was dropping off a form.

“He said he didn’t want any or something to that effect,” Magers said.

She walked back to her car and was backing her pickup truck out of her driveway when he appeared holding a rifle, Magers said. He fired a single shot in the air, Magers said, and tracked her with the rifle as she left the area.

Deputies contacted the man, who denies firing a weapon.

“We’ve had contact with him on other complaints,” Magers said.

After reporting the incident, the worker took the rest of the day off, but has kept her post with the census, said Todd Morris, manager of the Census Bureau office in Spokane.

“She’s unflappable,” Morris said. “She used pretty good judgment in getting out of there fast.”

The address has been red-flagged to warn workers in the area to use caution. Workers will not return to the site of the shooting, but the alleged shooter will still be counted. Workers will fill out the form either by educated guess or by polling neighbors.

Morris had heard of one other shooting involving census workers, which was unconfirmed in Idaho, he said.

“We talk to thousands of people,” Morris said. “And some people are not real happy to talk to us.”

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