Chapter 4 - The Ticket

Later that weekend, at Serg's house, Serg was playing with Alisha and Kristian in a game of pogo. Serg said, "Hey look, see that man over there wearing boots? He is dumping oil in the gutter!"

As guardians of the pond, the kids knew that the gutter and drains were for storm water only. In fact, there were signs painted on the sidewalks stating "Protect Our Wetlands, Storm Water Only." They had been painted all over the city of Davis by some Senior Girl Scouts to remind people not to put harmful waste in the gutters since they drained directly into the pond.

Alisha asked where the phone was as Kristian asked, "Why the heck do you want the phone?" Alisha just said that she needed to call someone. Serg showed her where the phone was located. Alisha called the police (not 911) and told them that there was a man putting oil in the gutter.

When the police car pulled up, one officer got out. She went up to the man and said, "These kids said that you were putting oil in the gutter." She then asked him if he was aware that this could harm the nearby pond and wildlife. The man scowled at the kids and said that he didn't put a thing in the gutter. The officer asked what the man's name was. He said, "Al Wolf." She asked if anyone else lived at this house. He answered, "No!" in a gruff voice.

Then, after hearing both sides of the argument, the officer said, "I believe that the kids are right, and with them as witnesses, I am forced to give you a ticket." The man took the ticket and stuffed it in his pocket. The kids went inside and talked about the man.

Alisha pointed out that he had the same kind of cowboy boots as the footprints they had seen at the pond. Kristian noticed that the boots were covered with black mud. "And, I saw some kind of oil gear in the trunk of his car!" added Serg. Alisha said thoughtfully, "I guess he could work in a muddy oil field...and a lot of people have cowboy boots." She went on, "Besides, we saw two pairs of footprints over at the pond, and only one person lives at the house the officer investigated, remember?"

"Well, I think we should still tell the rest of the class about this," Serg pointed out. The others agreed. After all, they were guardians of the pond!