Texas Mayor Killed By Donkey
The mayor of a town in South Texas has died, apparently killed by a 500-pound donkey on his ranch Monday.
Mayor William “Bill” Bohlke’s body was found Monday night at his ranch in Atascosa County. Bohlke was mayor of Hollywood Park, a south Texas town not far from San Antonio with a population of roughly 3,000.
The Bohlke family posted a statement on the Hollywood Park town website.
“It is with great regret that we, the family of Bill Bohlke, wish to inform you of his passing last night, August 27th, 2012. Bill suffered a fatal injury while taking care of his prized cow herd near Pleasanton last evening. Bill, your mayor, dearly loved serving you, our community, and we only wish he was here to continue doing so. We are still making the necessary funeral arrangements and will advise City Hall when we have been able to do so.”
NBC News reported that Bohlke was retired from the Air Force and had been a decorated B-52 pilot and squadron commander in the Vietnam War.
Chief Deputy David Soward said police are confident that the death was an animal attack by the donkey.
“They can become very aggressive, very mean, sometimes triggered by a female in heat,” Soward said. “We’ll probably never know what triggered it, but it was evident that this particular donkey was involved, based on the evidence at the scene and what we saw on this donkey.”
KWTX.com reports that Mayor Pro Tem Steve Phillips will serve as acting mayor until the next council meeting on September 8.
