A call to investigate concerns of potential illegal dumping ended with a totally different situation early Tuesday.
Emporia Police officers and Lyon County deputies were called to the old Fanestil Meats production facility, 1542 Kansas Highway 99, shortly after 3:30 am. Given the initial call, the size of the building and the discovery of a truck parked in a tree row near the building, Police Officer Dominick Vortherms says there was at least some thought of potential theft from the property. Instead, authorities found a man legally fishing in the Cottonwood River nearby.
Final processes are underway to demolish the former building and turn the property into green space as Fanestil has moved its operations to a complex at 4700 West US Highway 50, out of the Cottonwood floodplain. The city plans to close its acquisition of the property by May 1.
