Topeka cyclist says having homeless camps near trails is 'recipe for disaster.' Here's why

Kim Teske was riding June 15 along the Shunga Trail in East Topeka when an unsheltered woman's dog suddenly charged her and "clamped onto" her left calf, inflicting a painful injury that became swollen and massively infected.

Teske subsequently suffered through weeks of medical treatment, including having to take two different types of antibiotics, she told The Capital-Journal.

Teske was among Kaw Valley Bicycle Club members who watched as that group's vice president, Lynn Cress, voiced concerns about safety on trails here at Tuesday evening's Topeka City Council meeting.

"I'm here to report a very dangerous situation on the Shunga Trail," said Cress, who was the only KVBC member to speak.

The KVBC considers it unsafe, particularly for women and children who are alone, to use parts of the Shunga and Landon trails that pass near homeless camps, he said.

The current situation is a "recipe for disaster," Cress said.

What area of Topeka trails are considered unsafe by bicycle club?

Cress' message was similar to the one shared Monday in a statement put out by KVBC president Jeff Klun.

Klun identified the areas of concern as the following:

• On the Shunga Trail, between roughly S.E. 15th and Adams and S.W. 21st and Western Avenue.

• On the Landon Trail, between its roundabout intersection with the Shunga Trail, located two or three blocks south of S.E. 17th and Madison, and S.E. 45th Street.

Glass and nails continue to at times be "scattered purposefully" along those trails in those areas, Klun said.

"This decision was not made easily but after multiple near-miss events and a very serious episode with little response from local government officials, Kaw Valley Bicycle Club feels the situation along the trails can no longer be accepted," he said.

Rosie Nichols, public safety communications specialist for Topeka's city government, said Monday the city is in active discussions to address the very complex challenges associated with unsheltered residents here, and Topeka police are involved in those talks.

Topeka victim said she waited for animal control officer an hour-plus

The episode to which Klun referred involved Teske being bitten as she rode westbound June 15 on the Shunga Trail, in an area east of S. Kansas Avenue and west of the trail's intersection with the Landon Trail.

Teske said the dog was alone in the grass close to the paved trail on its west side. She said it was wearing a pinkish-red harness but wasn't connected to a leash.

"There was a homeless encampment behind him, but a little way back in the woods," she said.

After the dog charged and clamped onto her left calf, Teske said she yelled toward the camp for the owner to come get the dog while at the same time she was trying to stop and avoid falling.

"The dog momentarily let go of my calf and was trying to bite higher on my left knee when a woman ran out of the encampment and pulled the dog off of me," she said.

Teske said she rode her bicycle to the intersection of S.W. 20th and Van Buren, where she called 911 and waited for an hour, with a nearby auto body shop allowing her inside to clean up her wounds.

Nichols said the Shawnee County Emergency Communications Center at 2:30 p.m. June 15 received a call reporting an animal bite near S.W. 20th and Van Buren. The caller didn't request an ambulance, she said.

An animal control officer responded to the call at 3:10 p.m., arrived at 3:41 p.m. and was talking to the victim when the alleged dog and its owner walked by and were stopped, Nichols said.

The owner, who was headed to a water fountain, admitted her dog attacked Teske, she said.

The owner was cited in connection with violations of the city's dangerous dog ordinance as well as city ordinances regarding dog permits and animals at large, Nichols said.

The dog was then quarantined before being taken to the Helping Hands Humane Society shelter, Nichols said.

The dog remains at that shelter as its owner waits for the case involved to be heard in Topeka Municipal Court, Teske said.

'Whose job is it to keep people safe on the Shunga Trail?'

Teske said after she was bitten, she sent emails expressing concern to various city of Topeka and Shawnee County officials.

She said Shawnee County Parks Police chief Michael W. Cope replied that the county, which maintains the local trail system, is responsible for what happens only on the concrete trail and for 10 feet on either side of it, with the surrounding property belonging to private owners and the city.

"My question is, 'Whose job is it to keep people safe on the Shunga Trail?'" Teske said. "You never see anybody on the Shunga Trail who is an authority, who's making sure people are obeying the rules and people are safe."

KVBC vice president Cress asked at Tuesday's council meeting that law enforcement patrols of local trails be resumed.

Klun said in his statement Monday it was his perception that routine patrols of those trails ended when the Topeka police bicycle unit was disbanded in 2018.

"Frankly, the city of Topeka responded far more vigorously when the naked man was walking along the trails in 2015," he said.

The Topeka City Council voted in August 2015 to ban public nudity.

Contact Tim Hrenchir at threnchir@gannett.com or 785-213-5934.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Cyclist says dog charged, bit her on Topeka trail near homeless camp