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A beloved bull by the name of Howdy Doody was embroiled in a traffic stop by Nebraska police this week, resulting in widely shared footage that ultimately led to the publication of this very article.
Per a report from News Channel Nebraska, which was on the scene of the traffic stop in question, police were initially alerted to a man driving a car with what was then described as “a cow” in it.
The animal, however, turned out to be a large Watusi bull who was comically protruding from the front passenger seat of the man's car. The driver, Lee Meyer, was ultimately pulled over by responding officers.
In the comments section of the above report, people familiar with the bull criticized police for their response, with one person noting that the friendly animal holds a prominent role in an annual parade each year.
"Leave the guy alone," one person wrote. "He's had his bull with him all over the place and many citizens [love] seeing him and the bull."
In 2019, for example, Meyer and Howdy Doody—notably in what appears to be the same vehicle that was pulled over this week—were filmed delighting citizens along an Antelope County parade route on the Fourth of July.
When reached for comment by Complex on Thursday, a Norfolk Police Division rep noted the duo’s local fame but argued that Howdy Doody’s size caused a “vision obstruction” on traditional roadways.
“The driver is often in local parades in northeast Nebraska,” the police rep said. “During those times the roads are closed and traffic is controlled. Unfortunately Howdy Doody creates quite a vision obstruction for the driver for normal driving conditions. No citations were issued. He was issued a warning for having a vision obstruction.”
