731 - Vern Miller - Live

Summary

The Dollop with Dave Anthony and Gareth Reynolds

Episode 731 – Vern Miller – Live
Date: April 28, 2026

---

Episode Overview

In this live episode of The Dollop, Dave Anthony recounts the eccentric, combative, and often outrageous life of Kansas lawman Vern Miller to the unsuspecting Gareth Reynolds. From his scrappy upbringing in Depression-era Wichita to his rise as a sheriff, attorney general, and prohibitionist crusader, Miller is depicted as a brawler whose enforcements and antics became legendary — and controversial. The show, packed with Gareth's signature riffs and Dave's detailed storytelling, dives deep into both the absurdities and implications of old-school, tough-guy law enforcement.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Early Life and Wild Upbringing

• Childhood in Poverty:

  • Vern Miller was born in 1928 in the impoverished area of Bogtown, Wichita, Kansas.
  • He practiced stunts on his family's burro, Tony, as a kid:

    “Young Vern was best friends with Tony, the family's burro, and he would practice standing on top of Tony’s back as Tony walked.” (00:19)

  • Life was rough, with neighborhood brawls and bare-knuckle fights being common among children, often overlooked or even spectated by local police.

    “The cops left us alone to put knots on each other's heads. And chip each other's teeth.” (03:04)

• Academic Achievement, Sort Of:

  • Became valedictorian of his eighth-grade class.

    “Valedictorian for the eighth grade class. Wow, what a bright future I see amongst this room.” (03:40)

2. Military and Early Policing

• Army Service:

  • Joined to fight in Korea; learned to box and developed a love for motorcycles.
  • Discharged early due to rheumatic fever.

• Becoming a Cop:

  • Hired as a motorcycle cop after a parking-lot audition—no background check, just skill and bravado.

    “He flew around the building really fast, leaning into every turn with precision. And Captain Jack hired him on the spot. No background check.” (06:21)

  • Bought his own uniform and “borrowed” a gun to become a deputy same day.
  • Started out directing traffic during the Boeing boom in Wichita, witnessing massive congestion from shifting local demographics.

3. Establishing a Reputation: Fistfights, Bouncing & Bare-Knuckle Justice

• Brawling Fame:

  • Took on jobs as a bouncer at an all-black nightclub.
  • Gained a reputation for fighting anyone, earning the nickname “the public champ.”

    “‘He was like an oversized jack terrier on steroids.’” (14:20)

• Unconventional Approaches:

  • Chased down a stolen license plate for a friend, resulting in a press-worthy one-punch knock-out of the thief after a high-speed pursuit.

    “He finally manages to corner the car and he jumps off his bike and he sprints over and knocks out the driver with one punch.” (12:39)

4. Political Ambitions & Law Enforcement Innovations

• Rise in Local Politics:

  • After being fired by a new sheriff (due to a campaign-trail “donnybrook”), Miller ran—successfully—for county marshal, then sheriff.
  • Noted for both law-and-order stunts and for being not great at political alliances.

• Black-and-White Law Enforcer:

  • Resumed Prohibition-era liquor law busts decades after actual prohibition, annoying colleagues and the local Democratic Party.
  • Used his position to clear case backlogs and went undercover in unusual ways.

• Signature Tactic: The Trunk Surprise

  • Would famously hide in the trunk of undercover cars, leaping out at the moment of arrest.

    “His predecessors rarely went in the field, but he’s always out in the field. ...he would hide in the trunk of an undercover cop's car, and then right at the moment, he would leap out and shout, ‘you're under arrest.’” (27:55 – 28:00)

    • Even after this method became known, it continued to catch suspects off-guard.

5. Escalation, Violence, and Questionable Judgement

• Direct Violence:

  • Routinely used violence—both as lawman and politician.
  • Examples include shooting at escaping suspects (one graze to the lip), breaking noses during altercations, or fistfights with fugitives and even during campaign events.

• Extra-Legal Methods and Confrontations:

  • Once threatened two officers with lethal force to evade a forced testimony seen as an unlawful arrest.

    “He shouts very angrily, ‘if either of you move, I'll kill you.’” (52:33)

  • This incident led to a Kansas law making it illegal to resist a “clearly and obviously unlawful arrest” (the Vern Miller Law).

6. Attorney General & The War on Pleasure

• Anti-Drug, -Alcohol, & -Gambling Crusades:

  • As Attorney General, Miller mounted a relentless war on drugs, gambling, and liquor violations, targeting everyone from college students to church bingo halls.

    “Personally led raids on clubs, gambling dens, and churches.” (64:06)

  • Famous for headline-grabbing raids:

    • Raided Amtrak trains and even arrested a conductor for serving liquor over Kansas, grounding trains until a replacement arrived.

      “At the very first Kansas stop, Vern had a battalion of cops board the train and shut it down. They arrested waitresses who were just doing their jobs. ...And when a conductor demanded an explanation, he was also arrested.” (70:08–70:20)

    • Airlines stopped serving in-flight booze over Kansas in response.

  • Targeted rock concerts and hash dealers, building a puritanical reputation.

    “...rock concerts were hotbeds for the sale and usage of illegal drugs and alcohol and were therefore unwelcome in Kansas.” (74:49)

    • Wichita was dubbed “the hashish capital of the world” purely because of its central location by an overzealous official.

7. Media Image, Downfall, and Legacy

• Public/Media Persona:

  • Media often lauded his “True Grit"—especially after he jumped into a high school race riot and started beating up teenagers, emerging with a black eye as a campaign motif.

    “He used his legs to power himself up through the mass of bodies and pounded whatever faces came at him while taking a beating himself. ...Papers. Gave him a new campaign motto: True Grit.” (61:03 – 62:15)

• Final Years:

  • Ran for governor, but after exposing a bribery scandal (against his own party), the Democrats abandoned him. He narrowly lost.
  • Retired, briefly remarried, took up private practice and spent time traveling on motorcycle before his death in 2021 at 92.

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

The Absurdity of the Trunk Arrests

• “So fucking stupid. Like a cop in a box.” – Gareth Reynolds (28:00)
• “Miller then reentered the trunk. They took him to a second location, and Miller remained in the trunk for more than a half an hour.” – Dave Anthony (30:26)

Barbaric Policing

• “Verne grinned and yelled, ‘Mack, you son of a bitch, I love you, but you're coming home.’ And then they had a 20 minute fist fight until cops arrived.” – Dave Anthony (34:09–34:47)
• “He started firing a gun on a crowded bus. ...‘Boy, I sure hope this is the right son of a bitch.’” – Dave Anthony (39:41–40:01)

On the War on Pleasure

• “He nailed some low-level dealers with pot and a little bit of LSD... The press reported as a resounding success.” – Dave Anthony (64:14–64:26)
• “He targeted rock concerts because... ‘noisy trash-generating rock concerts were hotbeds for the sale and usage of illegal drugs and alcohol and were therefore unwelcome in Kansas.’” (74:47)

Kansas Liquor Law Absurdity

• “Bars could not pour liquor, but clubs were. Could, but only if you bought the bottle yourself. ...You could not drink it from somebody else's bottle.” – Dave Anthony (67:23)

Miller’s “Black-eye Billboard”

• “The billboard has a black eye... Oh my god, he has a black eye.” – Dave Anthony & Gareth Reynolds (63:32–63:36)

On Law Enforcement Brutality

• “He’s definitely eager.” – Dave Anthony (40:37)
• “It changed when the Supreme Court was like, yeah, you can just shoot them if they're running away. It's no big deal.” – Dave Anthony (85:39–85:56)

---

Timeline of Major Events with Timestamps

• 00:53: Vern’s birth and rough childhood in Wichita, Kansas.
• 03:32: Description of childhood brawling and “Hoover’s Orchard Gang.”
• 04:43: Joins the army, fights in Korea, learns to box—discharged due to rheumatic fever.
• 05:25–07:52: Hired on the spot as a motorcycle cop, with zero background check.
• 10:25–12:49: High-speed chase to retrieve buddy’s stolen license plate; one-punch arrest.
• 13:00–14:07: Grows reputation as a “public champ” bouncer.
• 17:02: “Donnybrook” (fistfight) with sheriff candidate, gets fired, then runs for marshal.
• 19:42: Begins aggressive Prohibition-style liquor raids, upsetting sheriff and Democratic party.
• 27:55–30:44: Repetitive “trunk cop” arrest stunts.
• 31:17: Elected sheriff; picks a pro wrestling champ as head jailer.
• 33:36: Chases, shoots, and fistfights fugitive “Mack”—including the classic “I love you, but you’re coming home” line.
• 39:25–40:01: Gunfight on a bus; infamous “Boy, I sure hope this is the right son of a bitch.”
• 55:22: Kansas legislature passes “Vern Miller Law” prohibiting resistance of an obviously unlawful arrest.
• 56:09: Runs for Attorney General, divorces wife for campaign.
• 57:02–62:10: Breaks up a high school race riot by wading in and brawling with teenagers, later using black eye as campaign branding.
• 69:12–71:10: Infamous Amtrak raids—arrests service staff for serving interstate liquor, grounds the train until new staff arrives.
• 72:47: Fanatical letter from circus fan Julian Jimenez following media criticism.
• 74:49–74:56: Airlines also stop serving booze in Kansas airspace.
• 76:57–80:01: Nighttime blacked-out raids on elite clubs in Great Bend; grabs money for school fund.
• 80:35–81:05: Miller exposes his own party’s bribery scandal; subsequently abandoned by Democrats and loses governor’s race by a small margin.
• 82:21: Tackles nude protester at an anti-porn event with Anita Bryant.
• 84:09: Eventually retires, travels, and dies in 2021 at age 92.

---

Tone & Style

• The episode is raucously comedic, fast-paced, and irreverent.
• Dave’s narrative is interrupted (and enriched) by Gareth’s relentless jokes, tangents, and (sometimes surreal) improvised character bits.
• The tone fluctuates between satirical disbelief and dark amusement at law enforcement history and the American penchant for “folk hero” tough guys.

---

For Listeners Who Missed the Episode

• This episode is a wild, comedic trip through the life of a controversial American law enforcer whose “direct action” methods and disregard for both due process and common sense made him a legend — and a warning.
• Dave and Gareth combine historical detail with improvisational riffing, making the show both educational and uproariously funny.
• The episode is packed with real and imagined quotes, running gags about hiding in trunks, and a scathing satire of America’s relationship with law, order, and prohibition.

---

In Short:

If you like tales of over-the-top, old-school policing and the often-absurd history of “law and order” in the heartland—with comedic asides about donkeys, trunk-based policing, and 1970s anti-fun crusades—this is a Dollop classic not to be missed.

Transcript

[Dave Anthony]

You're listening to the Dollop. I think I'm still gonna sit like this, though.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Like a merman.

[Dave Anthony]

This is an American history podcast. Or each week I feel like I'm

[Gareth Reynolds]

Drew Barrymore on the Tonight show. Like as a six year old, like, well, I don't know. I guess they told me ET Was fake.

[Dave Anthony]

Each week I read a story from American History to guy Gareth Reynolds, who

[Gareth Reynolds]

has no idea what the topic is going to be about.

[Dave Anthony]

Okay, all right. So I took some liberties because I've always wanted to do this subject and part of Kansas City's in Kansas,

[Gareth Reynolds]

so

[Dave Anthony]

that's why this is about to happen. December 22, 1928. Vern Miller was born in a house his father built near Bogtown, one of the poorest parts of Wichita, Kansas.

[Gareth Reynolds]

You're telling me Swampsville was shitty.

[Dave Anthony]

Young Verne was best friends with Tony, the family's burro, and he would practice standing on top of Tony's back as Tony walked.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Oh, my God. Yes. Yes.

[Dave Anthony]

The streets were.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Who taught him how to ride? You got it, boy. There you go.

[Dave Anthony]

He's an idiot.

[Gareth Reynolds]

That's good. Water ski the donkey. There you go.

[Dave Anthony]

He's a daredevil. The streets weren't paved and people could only afford any. Could only afford anything other than necessities. Well, that didn't come out right, but you know what I mean? All they could afford was necessities. They could only afford anything else. Just necessities.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Wow. So you're telling me we're about to head into our Burrow era.

[Dave Anthony]

We're about to head into 2026.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah, the year of the borough.

[Dave Anthony]

It was a tough neighborhood. Quote, us kids often fought for fun and bragging rights in our neighborhood.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Great.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah, we played a lot of rough football without pads or helmets. And many of the kids from around there belong to a real tough bunch called Hoover's Orchard Gang.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Sure. Cool. The Apple Fighters.

[Dave Anthony]

I considered it an honor that they frequently reached outside their own ranks to ask me to represent them in the Friday night bare knuckle fist fights.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Wait, who's saying this?

[Dave Anthony]

This guy, he's a little bit older. He's older now.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Oh, how old is he now? I'm picturing like an eight year old, like, Shut up, bitch. Like you're a fucking block off.

[Dave Anthony]

He's about. He's about 11 or 12.

[Gareth Reynolds]

No.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Really? And he's bare knuckle fighting?

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah. Didn't that what you did?

[Gareth Reynolds]

No, we smoke cigarettes, man.

[Dave Anthony]

The cops left us alone to put knots on each other's heads. And chip each other's teeth.

[Gareth Reynolds]

That's how it should be. Let us figure it out.

[Dave Anthony]

Sometimes when business was slow for them, the cops even joined the crowds to watch and cheat.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Beat the shit out of him. I fucking hate kids. Kill him. Let's go.

[Dave Anthony]

That is so fight the donkey. He's saying that like. He's saying it like it's surprising. Like, of course they did.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Dave Anthony]

Verne was smart for a brawler. He was valedictorian of his eighth grade class. What do they even have?

[Gareth Reynolds]

Is that because they didn't go further back then? Valedictorian for the eighth grade class. Wow, what a bright future I see amongst this room.

[Dave Anthony]

It's really not.

[Gareth Reynolds]

It's a great valedictorian.

[Dave Anthony]

No, they did that. They had that at my kids. Eighth grade graduates.

[Gareth Reynolds]

That's very stupid.

[Dave Anthony]

And I.

[Gareth Reynolds]

That's very stupid. I mean, look, if you're a parent, I'll listen to, like, an eighth grader's speech, but, like, as a person, I'd be like, I'm gonna listen to this fucker.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Tell me how to live, huh? Come on. I've done coke off a toilet. Tell me how to live.

[Dave Anthony]

I think I was the only.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Now, if he was on a donkey when he gave the speech, I'd be like, shut up. Our God is spe.

[Dave Anthony]

I think I was the only parent who booed the valedictorian.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Boo.

[Dave Anthony]

Get the fuck out of here with that shit.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Invalid Victorian. Fuck this kid.

[Dave Anthony]

Can she play baseball? After high school, he joined the army to fight in Korea.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Sure. One of our great wars.

[Dave Anthony]

That's where he learned how to really box. And he developed a love for motorcycles.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah. He probably stood on it like the donkey.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Let's go.

[Dave Anthony]

But then he got rheumatic fever and was discharged just before North Korea invaded.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Great timing.

[Dave Anthony]

The fever almost killed him, but he survived. He came home, he got married, started looking for work.

[Gareth Reynolds]

It's the right order always to do it.

[Dave Anthony]

Test.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah. Get married, then figure out your life. That's how to.

[Dave Anthony]

Hey, I'm unemployed. You want to get hitched?

[Gareth Reynolds]

Okay.

[Dave Anthony]

He saw an ad for motorcycle riders to apply to the local sheriff's department.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Motorcycle riders for the sheriffs?

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Okay.

[Dave Anthony]

And he's an avid biker who liked punching people, so it sounded like the perfect job.

[Gareth Reynolds]

And I'll tell you what, it was. Absolutely was.

[Dave Anthony]

So he goes down to the courthouse, and he is outside, and he bumps into a guy named Captain Jack Tucker, who was the patrol captain. And he was like, well, show off your skills. We got New Harleys here. The department has.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Ride that bike and kill that guy. See what you can do.

[Dave Anthony]

And he flew around.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I'm afraid you didn't say enough slurs. Other than that, you pretty much aced this thing. Come back in a couple years when you get super racist.

[Dave Anthony]

He flew around the building really fast, leaning into every turn with precision. And Captain Jack hired him on the spot. No background check.

[Gareth Reynolds]

He was like, shocker. Where was he. Where was he riding? Just, like, on.

[Dave Anthony]

Just around the street.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Okay. Yeah, Captain Jack's a good. All right, cool.

[Dave Anthony]

Seems like a low threshold for hiring.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Well, I was thinking he probably couldn't see at all. He probably, like, came back from around the block and he was like, how'd it go? He's like, real good. He's like, welcome aboard.

[Dave Anthony]

So right there that day, he got a badge and he borrowed a gun.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Borrowed. Here you go.

[Dave Anthony]

Hey, I'm gonna be a cop now. Can I get a.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Absolutely. You swear to God you're a cop? Yeah. There you go. Awesome. Welcome aboard.

[Dave Anthony]

If you don't believe I'm a cop, I'll ride my motorcycle.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah, I don't know. You haven't said a slur this whole time. Swear to God you're a cop. Don't say a slur, though. Cause that's not how this should go. Take the gun. Get out of here. Don't close your mouth. Leave.

[Dave Anthony]

I don't like.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Nope. Go. Careful.

[Dave Anthony]

Limes.

[Gareth Reynolds]

That's fine. What a cool thing to say.

[Dave Anthony]

So he just had to buy his own uniform. And he did. And at the end of the day, he was an official deputy.

[Gareth Reynolds]

So he's a deputy after, like, a few hours.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Cool. What year is this? Like six?

[Dave Anthony]

No, not either. We're talking 12. Like the 40s.

[Gareth Reynolds]

1940s.

[Dave Anthony]

The 40s, okay. Oh, no, it's after Korea. So it's the 50s.

[Gareth Reynolds]

50s, 60s. I got laughed at. Did you hear that? Yeah. 10 years off. Shut up. Yes. More stupid.

[Dave Anthony]

So he started as a traffic cop. He was out in intersections, just direct in traffic. Boeing had just moved to town.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Who had.

[Dave Anthony]

Boeing, the airplane company. Who are great. They're really good company. They don't. They don't kill whistleblowers. Why did you ask that? They don't do that.

[Gareth Reynolds]

No, it's just the stress gets to a lot of the people who have the secrets right before they're gonna tell people about. It consumes them. And what's so weird is how a lot of times the last thing those people say to loved ones is, I'm not gonna take my own life if I do. Boeing killed me. And then they just succumb to the pressure it a million times. We're lucky to have a company like that.

[Dave Anthony]

We really are.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Dave Anthony]

They provide jobs.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah, absolutely. Boeing. One wing at a time.

[Dave Anthony]

Very Boeing. Is it going to take off?

[Gareth Reynolds]

Boeing. There's going to be a feet of land. Boeing. Why didn't you say wheels were important to you? That was. What was funny about when Trump got the planes for Kristi Noemi was like, they were like, these planes are from the 1980s. It was like, you motherfucker, we're flying on planes from like, 63.

[Dave Anthony]

I know.

[Gareth Reynolds]

We're flying on planes. He flew on.

[Dave Anthony]

Yes. The only thing they've made, the only change they've made is getting rid of the armrests that had ashtrays in them.

[Gareth Reynolds]

But even then, for, like, ever, they were like, we just welded them. Aren't you worth a trillion dollars? Don't worry. We still put the no smoking sign on, though.

[Dave Anthony]

So Boeing had just come to town, and so now they brought in a bunch of employees. There's more people in Wichita than the roads can hold. So three times a day, he's directing employees during shift changes. That's his job.

[Gareth Reynolds]

So what's the deal with traffic lights? They're not.

[Dave Anthony]

Well, there are, but there's too many people. The roads can't handle all the.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Okay.

[Dave Anthony]

Once, cars were backed up at an intersection for a very, very long distance, and a motorcycle flew down the middle of the lane where he was stopped by Vern's partner. And then the biker was like, the Falcon? Yes. And the biker was like, fuck it. And he hit his engine, popped the clutch, and just took off. But just before he could, Verne jumped on the motorcycle behind the guy. Like a. Like, he's a backpack.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Let's get out of here. Show me Hollywood. What you do. A lot of core stuff.

[Dave Anthony]

And he pulled the guy off the bike, and then they got into a fist fight and they punched each other for several minutes before the partner finally stopped it.

[Gareth Reynolds]

What? So he ripped a guy off the bike and then beat the shit out?

[Dave Anthony]

Like, the partner just was like, well, let him have it.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Imagine sitting there. I'd be like, People be like, honky. I'd be like, I'm not going anywhere.

[Dave Anthony]

I'm not going anywhere.

[Gareth Reynolds]

What? Let's go.

[Dave Anthony]

One of Vern's buddies complained to him that his license plate had been taken and it was probably put on a stolen car. So he was like, do something about it. So for months his buddy was like giving Vern shit, mocking him and the other cops for not being able to find his license plate.

[Gareth Reynolds]

By the way, I'd be like, yeah, dude, we're doing other shit. It's hard. It's a hard thing to locate.

[Dave Anthony]

Well, Vern burned that plate number. Knew his mind, motherfucker, and he can still recall it 60 years later. So he knew the fucking number. And one day he sees it.

[Gareth Reynolds]

So what? Who?

[Dave Anthony]

Okay,

[Gareth Reynolds]

another guy in which it's like his neighbor in Wichita.

[Dave Anthony]

Like, so he hits the lights on the car or so what does he. On his motorcycle. He hits the lights, okay. The car takes off.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Oh, shit.

[Dave Anthony]

Vern chases now. They're going 80 miles an hour down surface street.

[Gareth Reynolds]

It's not. This is what I don't understand. Let it go.

[Dave Anthony]

Gotta get that guy.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Dave Anthony]

He's like, fuck it, gotta get that guy.

[Gareth Reynolds]

My neighbor made fun of me.

[Dave Anthony]

He finally manages to corner the car and he jumps off his bike and he sprints over and knocks out the driver with one punch.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Then he's like, oh, I thought that was a cue.

[Dave Anthony]

And that's like big news. Cause it's like Dirty Harry shit. Like, it's like, you know, fun.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Sure, it is fun.

[Dave Anthony]

It is fun.

[Gareth Reynolds]

It's fun. It's a good precedent.

[Dave Anthony]

So he's getting press, right?

[Gareth Reynolds]

Sure.

[Dave Anthony]

People are knowing who he is.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Cause he's a psycho.

[Dave Anthony]

He's a psycho. So he takes a bouncer job to make a little bit of extra cash and he gets hired at an all black nightclub because he has a brawler reputation.

[Gareth Reynolds]

What? Why? It's just, what's our deal? We just are like, no, that's a good match, throw it.

[Dave Anthony]

But then all these customers started coming because they wanted to see if they could beat up the country white boy.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I don't know where I'm landing, but okay, that's pretty great. Show up to beat the shit out of the bouncer. Who are you here to see? I want to beat the out of that guy with the big head.

[Dave Anthony]

Are you here to dance? No, I'm gonna that guy up.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I'm gonna dump dance with that guy. In the streets, that guy Vern Way

[Dave Anthony]

usually weighed about 40 to 50 pound pounds less. But at this point, he was beating up so many guys that people started calling him the public champ.

[Gareth Reynolds]

The public champ?

[Dave Anthony]

Like boxing champ? Like the public champ.

[Gareth Reynolds]

He's a cop.

[Dave Anthony]

I know an old timer who frequented the club, said, quote, he was like an oversized jack terrier on steroids.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Wow. Yep.

[Dave Anthony]

He once lifted a guy £230 off his feet by his front teeth. That's. No, I don't think he did that.

[Gareth Reynolds]

But no, he's.

[Dave Anthony]

He's making a point.

[Gareth Reynolds]

So this guy, that guy who got quoted was like, have you got any good quotes? I got one. He one time lifted a 400 pound guy up by his belly button and spun him like a beach ball. Did he really? Uh huh. Then the guy propelled into the sky. He did you swear to God? Oh, yeah. Then he flew up in the sky and he knocked down a Boeing. Oh, yeah. Oh, wow. Yeah, he shot him right up there. But then the fellow landed. Oh, yeah. Well, Vern wasn't done with him.

[Dave Anthony]

Okay.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah, no, he grabbed him by his penis.

[Dave Anthony]

I was gonna record this, but now I'm not.

[Gareth Reynolds]

He grabbed him by his penis and then he sort of bounced him up and down on his hand like a paddle game. And this guy was just freaking out. And he'd gained £100 by then. I guess he'd eaten stuff up in the air. And then his penis ripped off. So Verne threw it into the sun.

[Dave Anthony]

I don't actually need it.

[Gareth Reynolds]

And then that guy grew another penis.

[Dave Anthony]

I don't need a quote.

[Gareth Reynolds]

And then he took that penis and he lassoed him around.

[Dave Anthony]

I don't need.

[Gareth Reynolds]

And then he threw him into a boyhood enemy.

[Dave Anthony]

I don't.

[Gareth Reynolds]

And then they combined into one monstrous freak beast. And then they came for Verne. And they wanted blood. It was at that point that Verne saw a sword and a stone. A stone that had a sword, it was called. And nobody could pull the sword out of there. But then old Verne walked over and he couldn't get the sword out. But he picked the rock up. He did. And he threw it into the monster who now bled blue. And the blue goo went all over the floor. And it filled the weird canal that was empty in the streets of this town. And that's how we got the Blue Goo Lagoon. And we thought the day was over, but it was just getting warm, Warmed up.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah, I took a nap. Where are we?

[Gareth Reynolds]

Well, I don't remember, but I'll go from the beginning.

[Dave Anthony]

Now, Verne wasn't very good at politics. He got into a quote donnybrook.

[Gareth Reynolds]

A what?

[Dave Anthony]

A donnybrook. Okay, I think that's a fist a cuff thing.

[Gareth Reynolds]

One psycho with.

[Dave Anthony]

I know what a donnybrook is.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I'll show you.

[Dave Anthony]

With a candidate for sheriff. And he broke the other guy's nose. Okay, so Verne felt bad and drove him to the hospital.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Interesting. Awkward ride Sorry about that.

[Dave Anthony]

But the guy still fired Verne when he won and became sheriff. Okay.

[Gareth Reynolds]

What a turn.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah. So still wanting to be a cop, Verne ran for county marshal. He sometimes campaigned in his friend's new Chevy, which was decked out with Verne for Marshall signs all over it.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Well, that worked out well.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah.

[Gareth Reynolds]

You know what? I actually bought a Vern for Marshall car recently. What?

[Dave Anthony]

So one day they were out in it campaigning, and at a light, another car started revving its engine. So of course, Verne had to race.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yep.

[Dave Anthony]

And then the racing turned into yelling, which turned into them stopping, and Verne broke the other guy's nose and then ran away.

[Gareth Reynolds]

He ran off? Yeah, he just, like, ran to the hills. The hell is he. So he's just breaking a lot of noses. But he's a cop and he wants.

[Dave Anthony]

He's not a cop now, and now he's running.

[Gareth Reynolds]

He wants to be the marshal, though.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Right. Okay.

[Dave Anthony]

And he won the election.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Sure, why not?

[Dave Anthony]

That's pretty cool. So before TikTok, then he began going behind the sheriff's back to prosecute crimes that the sheriff didn't care about. So it's the stuff the sheriff's letting go. He's like, whatever, that's fine.

[Gareth Reynolds]

So he's prosecuted.

[Dave Anthony]

So Verne's side, prosecutor, he's arresting people.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Okay.

[Dave Anthony]

So it's illegal to serve drinks outside of social clubs in Kansas at that time.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I'm glad we got rid of that law.

[Dave Anthony]

So Verne began massive liquor raids. Like Prohibition was still happening. You know, they took all that home. I mean, come on.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Who gives a shit? What a weird gripe. This country's like, weird liquor life. It's just like, look, you're not going to stop it.

[Dave Anthony]

No.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Here they are. Like, we busted up some teenagers. Awesome.

[Dave Anthony]

It's 30 years after prohibition now, and he's doing this. So this really upsets the sheriff and it really upsets the local Democratic Party, but Verne doesn't care. He has a black and white view of the law, and he's gonna enforce it. If the law's there, he's gonna fucking kick indoors.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah, but he's the same guy who's just breaking people's noses.

[Dave Anthony]

Ah, I think that's legal.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Does that not feel a little incongruent?

[Dave Anthony]

I think that's legal.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Okay. I feel like that's not.

[Dave Anthony]

All right, show me the statute.

[Gareth Reynolds]

We never built a statue about it.

[Sponsor Voice 1]

No.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I don't know what to tell you. It would be a hard thing to convey through stone.

[Dave Anthony]

That's a really good point.

[Gareth Reynolds]

We'll try. We'll figure it out. Well, we finally built that statue. Super confusing, actually.

[Dave Anthony]

What's it of?

[Gareth Reynolds]

It's supposed to be of how you can't break a fellow's nose. But he did. It melted. The guy charged us 50 grand, and it was just frosting. I swear, if I find him, I'm fucking beat the shit out of that guy.

[Dave Anthony]

So he cleared almost every backlog case, from traffic tickets to murder and mayhem. And he loaned himself. So, you know, they've cleared all the cases. So he starts loaning himself and his men out.

[Gareth Reynolds]

So what's the deal?

[Dave Anthony]

To go undercover.

[Gareth Reynolds]

But he's. But without the permission of the sheriff at the.

[Dave Anthony]

Right. So he's loaning himself out to the police force to go undercover, which is.

[Gareth Reynolds]

But the sheriff is the sheriff of the county, Right? So he's. Without the sheriff knowing. He's loaning himself out as an undercover.

[Dave Anthony]

But he's not working for the sheriff. He's a marshal.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Right, but when he's doing that, he kind of is working for the sheriff.

[Dave Anthony]

No, Marshall's different than the sheriff.

[Gareth Reynolds]

No, but who's he loaning himself out to do undercover work?

[Dave Anthony]

The police. Those of us who love law enforcement understand all the delineations.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Okay, whatever.

[Dave Anthony]

And then ice,

[Gareth Reynolds]

It goes.

[Dave Anthony]

I don't know, Sheriff, you guys.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Marshall, cop guy who's taking his divorce out on people who are brown.

[Dave Anthony]

Guy with zero experience who's been mad on Twitter for six years and unemployed.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah. Guy who masturbates to first person shooters.

[Dave Anthony]

So they.

[Gareth Reynolds]

The guy who's like, where's the sexual assault button on the Grand Theft Auto controller?

[Dave Anthony]

So. Right. So he starts hiring him and his men out to go undercover, make a little extra cash, help the police force. And then Vern finds the pot dealer in all of Kansas.

[Gareth Reynolds]

The. Leave this guy alone.

[Dave Anthony]

The big pot dealer.

[Gareth Reynolds]

The guy. Hey, man, you swear to God you need that? You don't have, like, the haircut of someone who smokes, though, man. No, I love reefer. I get boogie with it all the livelong day.

[Dave Anthony]

Okay, so he traces the guy's grow operation to a field.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Hey, what's up, man?

[Dave Anthony]

Which happens to be on the property of Fort Leavenworth. And then he makes the bust.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Good Lord, look at all this marijuana. That's 100% weed. That's the wacky. That's the wacky. That's the wacky.

[Dave Anthony]

You okay?

[Gareth Reynolds]

Vern?

[Dave Anthony]

You okay?

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah, I'm fine. No, you're not. Why are you lying to These guys. Chill out, Vern. Compose yourself. Everybody knows. Nobody knows. Shut the fuck up. These guys had the weed, the pot, maybe that sounded weird. Why did it feel like you were talking through a tube? Calm yourself.

[Dave Anthony]

And.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Huh? And. And who?

[Dave Anthony]

These guys had the pot, you said.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah, they absolutely have the pot. Is it crazy to take our shirts off?

[Dave Anthony]

Yes.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah, yeah, that's what I was gonna say. Maybe we should just leave this guy alone. Ask him. Maybe we should just leave this guy alone.

[Dave Anthony]

Which guy?

[Gareth Reynolds]

The guy who had all the pot.

[Dave Anthony]

I mean, it's literally we had spent like a three week operation to catch.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Exactly, man. Why'd you say man? Chill. Let's get tacos.

[Dave Anthony]

Okay.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I'm gonna climb that tree for a little bit. Yeah, yeah, Just get up there.

[Dave Anthony]

Watch out, there's clowns up there.

[Gareth Reynolds]

That's fine.

[Dave Anthony]

Okay. You didn't go anywhere. You just made a bird noise.

[Gareth Reynolds]

How do we know it's even pot?

[Dave Anthony]

So this was front page news because it's on an army base, and now the army is fucking pissed.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I tell you who else is pissed. Some of those cadets were like, wait, what? Fuck. I mean, good. Glad we got him. Can we see the area that it was supposedly in? We've never been over that way before.

[Dave Anthony]

You guys need us to cut those down?

[Gareth Reynolds]

Let us go over there, Cut them down, and we will burn the shit out of them slowly. A slow burn operation.

[Dave Anthony]

Over a couple of years.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Over a few years. We'll take care of that.

[Dave Anthony]

Really, really controlled burns, Tiny burns, tiny control.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Put each one into a flammable stick form. And we'll get rid of most of the smoke too.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah. Some of them will cut a milk a half gallon in half. And we'll fill up a tub and

[Gareth Reynolds]

then put it in the bathtub, burn

[Dave Anthony]

some of it and push it down

[Gareth Reynolds]

under the water, putting gravity into action. Do you understand? Or just leave us with a Diet Coke can.

[Dave Anthony]

My buddy can do it with an apple.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah. Honestly, all I need is a stove and two knives. We will figure this out. Okay,

[Dave Anthony]

so the army is pissed because Vern did not give them a heads up before the raid.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Vern, like a koala. He's just in the tree. Vernon,

[Dave Anthony]

I have chlamydia now

[Gareth Reynolds]

he's just pissing. That'd be great if every time a koala pissed, it just screamed. Well, they've got chlamydia pretty bad. And then they sleep for another 19 hours. Oh.

[Dave Anthony]

So a colonel calls to scream at Vern, but Vern just said tough and hung up. I get it.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I Feel like you like him a little bit?

[Dave Anthony]

Well, I did, but I won't.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Okay.

[Dave Anthony]

There were more drug and liquor busts in Verne's first year as Marshall than the previous 10 years combined.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah, because he's a psycho.

[Dave Anthony]

So he has a signature tactic. He has a way of doing things. So his predecessors rarely went in the field, but he's always out in the field. He's always leading the raids. And he's really into the art of surprise. So he would hide in the trunk of an undercover cop's car, and then right at the moment, he would leap out and shout, you're under arrest.

[Gareth Reynolds]

So fucking stupid. Like a cop in a box. By the way, you're under arrest is such a dumb one. Yeah, you could do a way better one.

[Dave Anthony]

Like, hey, What about.

[Gareth Reynolds]

No. Yeah. All right, I'll give you some. Yeah, I don't think so.

[Dave Anthony]

Okay.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Or not so fast. Bet you didn't count on this.

[Dave Anthony]

No, you lose.

[Gareth Reynolds]

You lose.

[Dave Anthony]

I still think you're under arrest is the best one.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I'm a virgin for sure. I'm for sure a virgin.

[Dave Anthony]

Okay, that's weird.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I was jacking off in there.

[Dave Anthony]

What the fuck? Now you're under arrest. What? Wait. It's sexy.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I could pitch catch phrases all day for him.

[Dave Anthony]

What about, I've got chlamydia?

[Gareth Reynolds]

I don't love it. I like it. I like it a lot.

[Dave Anthony]

Well, his surprise always worked. Criminals never expected a gun wielding man to jump out of a trunk. Even after everyone knew that it was his thing, it still worked.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Did they know that, like, the cops show up, but they're not in cop cars, obviously, they're all under cover.

[Dave Anthony]

Regular cars?

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah, regular cars. Okay, so they were just like, out there, like. And what, were they just serving booze out in public?

[Dave Anthony]

No, it's.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Well, they're like, serving, like, speakeasies.

[Dave Anthony]

I think it's drugs, usually.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Oh, drugs. Oh, okay. All right.

[Dave Anthony]

So he did this for years. The Lawrence Daily Journal quote, Miller had hidden in the trunk of an undercover agent's car in order to make an arrest after hearing a radio.

[Gareth Reynolds]

So dumb to have a catch move.

[Dave Anthony]

It is.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Dave Anthony]

After hearing a radio signal from Miller, other officers had rushed to the scene to find him holding the suspect at gunpoint. Miller then re entered the car trunk and the agents drove to a second location.

[Gareth Reynolds]

That is a pathetic move. That is insane. That's like a magician going back into the trick. All right, now if you'll excuse me. Let's go back in here. Put the swords in again. Do the Swords again. We're going to do it all one more time. Next door.

[Dave Anthony]

Miller then reentered the trunk. They took him to a second location, and Miller remained in the trunk for more than a half an hour.

[Gareth Reynolds]

That is absolutely insane.

[Dave Anthony]

Until the suspect was found. And when the suspect fled, Miller followed in hot pursuit, eventually attacking the suspect after a two block chase.

[Gareth Reynolds]

There is no advantage to be like a half hour. Imagine being in a truck for a half hour. You'd be like, just like eating a tuna sandwich. Like taking so long. Hurry up.

[Dave Anthony]

Well, the surprise is the fun part. You get to see their face.

[Gareth Reynolds]

No, because they're like, wow, what a fucking moron. Holy shit. This guy's an idiot.

[Dave Anthony]

So finally, Verne was a lick.

[Gareth Reynolds]

You snooze, you lose. That's a new pitch.

[Dave Anthony]

Finally, Verne was elected sheriff. So he gets to pick the head of jails as sheriff. He chooses a friend, and the only guy in Kansas history who was a pro wrestling champion and professional boxer.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Oh, boy.

[Dave Anthony]

These two together, the guy's like, I don't really want the job. So Vern's like, come on, I'll take you a tour of the jails.

[Gareth Reynolds]

It'll be great. We could beat the shit out of everyone. I'm nuts, dude.

[Dave Anthony]

And as they were walking through, an inmate pointed at him and said, quote, hey, Sheriff, who's the fat guy? And the friend was pissed. So pissed that he took the job on the spot. A few days later, Vern smiled when he learned his friend had initiated a quote, no holds or punches barred brawl in the prison and come out the victor. So he beat the.

[Gareth Reynolds]

He was fighting him?

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah, the guy I thought you meant.

[Gareth Reynolds]

He was, like, having the inmates fight.

[Dave Anthony]

He took the job so he could fight.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah. Which one of you called me fat? Well, we all called you fat. All right.

[Dave Anthony]

An inmate named Mac was waiting to be transferred for 119 year prison sentence. And he escaped jail.

[Gareth Reynolds]

He didn't just want to wait it out.

[Dave Anthony]

Verne was very pissed when he heard the guy escaped. He heard that the escapee went to Omaha and he used detective work to trace him to a car dealership where less than respected guys from Wichita recently had taken jobs.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Oh, he was probably like, do you mind if I get in one of the trunks? Why? I'm the sheriff of a different state, so if I can get in one of the trunks when he's trying to sell the car, that could be an awesome thing. And I'll pop. I sort of jack in the box out of there. And then I say, cool. Stuff when I pop out.

[Dave Anthony]

Like what?

[Gareth Reynolds]

You know, I pop out and I'm just sort of like, hey, with three easy down payments, you're under arrest.

[Dave Anthony]

So the workers told Verne they had been forced at gunpoint to hide Mac. So Vern cased the neighborhood. Almost immediately, he found the guy walking down the street while holding a bag of laundry.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Shit, where's a trunk? He's like Superman with a phone booth. I need a trunk. Chunk of a car somewhere.

[Dave Anthony]

So Mack instantly recognized Vern and took off running. So Verne sprinted after him, but Mack was too fast. So Vern drew his gun and shot at him from behind.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Now what the fuck?

[Dave Anthony]

What else are you gonna do?

[Gareth Reynolds]

Let him go? That idea of, like, crazy, this is such a threat.

[Dave Anthony]

He somehow managed only to graze Mac's lip.

[Gareth Reynolds]

What? Mac was running backwards and profile.

[Dave Anthony]

Well, he had to. He had to. Been turning sideways, right?

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah, of course.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah. He's like this slowed Mac down enough that Verne was able to pull him off of a fence when he tried to jump it. Verne grinned and yelled, quote, mack, you son of a bitch, I love you, but you're coming home. And then they had what?

[Gareth Reynolds]

And then I'm in fucking love with you, buddy. You're my best goddamn. But I'm furious. I am so alone. I don't have a life. I never even thought about building one. I've just been fueled by hate. And God bless you, I love you. I want to kiss the blood off your mouth. Let's get into a trunk.

[Dave Anthony]

Then they had a 20 minute fist fight until cops arrived.

[Gareth Reynolds]

And he had a gun.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah, but he, you know, at that point, the gun part's over.

[Gareth Reynolds]

That's a weird answer. At that point, he shot him in the lip. Then he put the gun down and had a 20 minute fight.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah.

[Gareth Reynolds]

And then the actual cop showed up. We're like, what are you. He's like, what's going on? I'm a sheriff. Not nowhere near here.

[Dave Anthony]

One day, two murderers were on the run from Missouri. Uh, oh, Missouri. They hopped on a bus that was going through Wichita. Oh, I don't think you should ever do that for Missouri. You gotta be honest. Not great.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I've never been there.

[Dave Anthony]

Well, don't.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I do love Kansas, though. But I also like Missouri. I don't understand what's happening.

[Dave Anthony]

As far as I'm concerned, Kansas City is in neither one.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah, I don't think he meant that as a compliment.

[Dave Anthony]

Think you're lucky St. Louis is, you know, St. Louis tried. They tried.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah. This Feels like intro stuff.

[Dave Anthony]

Who's our rival?

[Gareth Reynolds]

Who's our rival?

[Dave Anthony]

Well, it's certainly not the NFL referees and.

[Gareth Reynolds]

How dare you.

[Dave Anthony]

How many of them got fired, though?

[Gareth Reynolds]

They only fired the three who kept making calls for him last year.

[Dave Anthony]

Got really quiet before. Before the bus could enter the city. Verne was there waiting, and he and a deputy boarded and spotted a man.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Can I get into the baggage part of the bus?

[Dave Anthony]

Is there a truck?

[Gareth Reynolds]

Can I talk to the. Is there any way for me to go under there when these guys come out? How do you open it? I know it's a little bit more of a hydraulic. I would just. So I'm a sheriff and I have a whole. I'm sure you've heard of me. I'm the trunk cop and I pop out of stuff to arrest the guys. I would love to be able to pop out of the little luggage zone under there.

[Dave Anthony]

I haven't heard of you.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Oh, well, you probably have. I known for a lot of stuff, but I am a big. I'm the trunk cop. I'm the.

[Dave Anthony]

That isn't.

[Gareth Reynolds]

If there's a drunk, let me out of the trunk.

[Dave Anthony]

What does that.

[Gareth Reynolds]

That's pretty good.

[Dave Anthony]

You're literally just rhyming at this point and it makes no sense.

[Gareth Reynolds]

No, I think that made a lot of sense. So, anyway, we don't have a lot of time. People are debussing, so I'd love to get under the. Part of the bus and I'll get them. I have a gun, it's loaded, and I'll just shoot him. I'll kill him. I'll probably kill you anyway. Let me enter the fucking thing. Prick. Come on, don't be a dickhead. Please let me under there. Jesus fucking Christ, dude.

[Dave Anthony]

I'm a passenger.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Oh, sorry. You're wearing a hat. I didn't know what.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah, a lot of us have hats.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah. So is everyone a driver? I guess I'm a little.

[Dave Anthony]

No, we're. It's a bunch of Milkman.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Oh, okay.

[Dave Anthony]

That.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I'm filled with questions, but I don't have a lot of time. I really would love to get under the luggage part of the.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah, I'm sure you could get in there somehow.

[Gareth Reynolds]

You think that's okay?

[Dave Anthony]

No, do you? Okay.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Do you know where the driver is? No, I'm pretty sure those guys are gone. Shit. I still should go under there, though. I like little spaces. My best friend was a donkey.

[Dave Anthony]

Sure.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I was a boy.

[Dave Anthony]

Well, I feel like I've heard enough.

[Gareth Reynolds]

He had a dog friend.

[Dave Anthony]

Thank you. Thank you for talking. I. We're done.

[Gareth Reynolds]

What are you guys doing for. Where you guys going?

[Dave Anthony]

I have a suitcase. Do you want to get my suitcase?

[Gareth Reynolds]

I'd love to try.

[Dave Anthony]

So he and a deputy boarded, and they spotted a man grabbing something under his coat. So Verne walked over and asked him for ID, and the man whipped out a cocked.45. In that moment, on a crowded bus, Vern and his deputy started a shootout.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Wow.

[Dave Anthony]

And the deputy shot the man, killing him. Vern had his gun trained on the other suspect, stopping him from pulling out a shotgun. And the partner thought Vern had been shot, but was relieved when Vern pointed at the dead guy and yelled, quote, boy, I sure hope this is the right son of a bitch.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Now, that's a pretty good catchphrase for a cop that feels applicable to most situations. Hey, Ice, it's up for grabs. Has this.

[Dave Anthony]

Is this a.

[Gareth Reynolds]

How. How much policing is like this? At the time? I feel like they used to be like, get over here.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah, I don't dare.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah, but burns, like shooting people.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah. No, I don't think. I think this is a little bit rare.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I mean, so he's, like, inventing this new type of policing, which will be very catchy and. And easy to replicate.

[Dave Anthony]

He's definitely eager.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah.

[Gareth Reynolds]

He doesn't mind shooting around people to take out the bad guy.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Right. And again, they were on a bus.

[Dave Anthony]

They were on a bus. Crowded bus.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Dave Anthony]

Milkman, suitcase.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Right. Now, I think that. I don't believe that part is historically.

[Dave Anthony]

It is now.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Okay. Wow. Crazy.

[Dave Anthony]

Siri wants to ask me something again. Siri, go away.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Okay.

[Dave Anthony]

Fucking asshole.

[Gareth Reynolds]

All right.

[Dave Anthony]

Oh, someone else.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah, Someone else's series like you, Dave

[Dave Anthony]

Gareth the Dollop is brought to you by hims. Maybe something's been a little off in the old bedroom. You know, cards on the table.

[Gareth Reynolds]

You're.

[Dave Anthony]

Buddy, you're not the only guy.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Dave Anthony]

A lot of guys wait longer than they need to deal with this, which you shouldn't do. You should jump on it now. It's easy to take care of. It's not that expensive.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Get going.

[Dave Anthony]

It's very. Everyone's made the process very simple. Getting real treatment.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Thrust yourself into it.

[Dave Anthony]

Getting real treatment. Simple through hims. And it's 100 online, which I think is the key part. A hundred percent online.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Pump, pump, pump, pump, pump away.

[Dave Anthony]

And, you know, don't say that, but quit blaming stress or. Or sleep or getting older, whatever it is, it's time to do something about it.

[Gareth Reynolds]

So it's a hard. It's hard.

[Dave Anthony]

You don't got to jump through hoops. You just get it done. So HIMSS connects you with licensed healthcare providers online, giving you simple access to legitimate ED options from home. You know, don't to go straight to appointment and look some weirdo in the face and like it. No pharmacy. It's all online. Do you know what online is?

[Gareth Reynolds]

Sure. You don't have to go to a weirdo.

[Dave Anthony]

You know weirdos.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Dave Anthony]

Some of the things that you can get in discreet packaging. Sildenafil, which is generic for Viagra. It's available through HIMS at up to 95% less than the brand name version. That's pretty sweet.

[Gareth Reynolds]

That's great. We like that.

[Dave Anthony]

So we recommend it. We really don't think you should just let this fester. You really want to get in there.

[Gareth Reynolds]

We want it to be good for you. We want you to. We want. Yeah, we want it. We want it.

[Dave Anthony]

We want you to be hammering.

[Gareth Reynolds]

We want it to happen.

[Dave Anthony]

We want you hammering.

[Gareth Reynolds]

We like it when it happens. Get to. Get to. Get to push.

[Dave Anthony]

Pushing to get simple online access to personalized affordable care for ED, hair loss, weight loss and more. Visit hims.com that's hims.com dollup for your free online visit hims.com Dollar prescription required. See website for details and important safety information. Cel Dinaphil is the generic version of Vagra. Vagra is a registered trademark of the Atris Specialty llc. HIMSS Incorporated is not affiliated with or endorsed by Viatris Specialty, llc. Hymns, no song.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I don't care for that.

[Dave Anthony]

Gareth, if you have a team, right? So you got a team, and it's operating like a group chat with a lot of issues, a lot of commitment problems. That's not going to work for your business. Nothing kills momentum. Nothing kills momentum. Faster.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Garrett Cord just went through one of these.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah. Ger had a real problem with this. And you lose an opportunity to slip through the cracks because everyone thought someone else was doing it. Was exactly what I with Gear Corps. You guys had thousands of cats laying around.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Clark. Everyone thought Clark was on it.

[Dave Anthony]

And no one was moving the cats.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Nobody was moving the cats.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah, cats are just sitting around. So eventually you look at the chaos and you sigh and think, let's. Let's quo. And that's why today's episode is brought to you by quo spelled Q U O. The smarter way to run your business communications. As Garris said, it's quote time.

[Gareth Reynolds]

It's quote time. Let's quo.

[Dave Anthony]

So quo is the number one rated business phone system on G2 with over 3000 reviews. Built for how modern teams work. And that's why over 90,000 businesses, from solo operators to growing teams like Gericorps rely on quo to stay connected, professional and consistently close.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Change the gear corps Offices.

[Dave Anthony]

In what way?

[Gareth Reynolds]

Big time. Oh, we're doing a whole bunch of stuff now and it's gotten a lot better because of.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah, yeah.

[Gareth Reynolds]

So there's a whole bunch of stuff. We got rid of Clark and we replaced them all.

[Dave Anthony]

The cats are off the floor.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Cats are off the floor. They're elevated with their eggs underneath them. Just where we need them.

[Dave Anthony]

It's exactly what everyone wants. Look, your team can handle calls and texts from one shared number. No more missed messages are disconnected conversations. Everyone sees the full thread, making replies faster and customers feel genuinely cared for.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Our customers love it.

[Dave Anthony]

Calls, text, voicemails, transcripts, contact details, all live in one clean view with full context at your fingertips. Your full team communicates faster, stays aligned, and delivers a more professional experience. And that's what we're talking about.

[Gareth Reynolds]

This is what quo does.

[Dave Anthony]

This is exactly what we're talking about.

[Gareth Reynolds]

We're quoting let's Quo. Quo mon. Go ahead.

[Dave Anthony]

Make this the time where no opportunity and no customer slips away. Try quo for free. Plus get 20% off your first six months when you go to quo.comdollop that's Q uo.com dob quo. No missed calls, no missed customers.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Quo.

[Dave Anthony]

That's the song.

[Gareth Reynolds]

No.

[Dave Anthony]

You want one at this point, people are expecting it.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Okay, this is ready. I'm being told legally.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah, that didn't work.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah, it's a great that's dis business. But Premier hosts on VRBO deliver quality vacation rental stays with fast responses and clear instructions. Oh, I had a question. Our host replied, super quick Premier move. Wish I had a Premier group chat.

[Dave Anthony]

They won't even write me back.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Book a top rated stay with a Premier host if you know you've Erbo

[Sponsor Voice 1]

this episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Do you ever think about switching insurance companies to see if you could save some cash? Progressive makes it easy to see if you could save when you bundle your home and auto policies. Try [e-mail] Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Potential savings will vary. Not available in all states. You're listening to this podcast, so I know you've got a curious mind. Here's a helpful fact you might not know yet. Drivers who switch and save with Progressive save over $900 on average. Pop over to progressive.com, answer some questions and you'll get a quick quote with discounts that are easy to come by. In fact, 99% of their auto customers earn at least one discount. Visit progressive.com and see if you can enjoy a little cash back. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates national average 12 month savings by $946 by new customers surveyed who saved with Progressive between June 2024 and May 2025. Potential savings will vary.

[Sponsor Voice 2]

This podcast is sponsored by Talkspace. November is Men's Health Awareness Month, so Talkspace wants guys to know that being prepared for life's biggest challenges and opportunities means prioritizing mental health too. Talkspace can help you go beyond fine tuned workouts, supplements and productivity hacks. Talkspace can help you fine tune your inner life so you can succeed in being the best ve of yourself in any situation. And with Talkspace, you can get therapy from anywhere and on your time. You can even text your therapist between sessions. If you're depressed, stressed, struggling with a relationship, or just need a little extra one on one support, Talkspace is here for you. Plus, Talkspace takes most insurance and most insured members have a zero dollar copay. Men's Health Awareness Month is the perfect time to reach out to TalkSpace. Now get $80 off your first month with promo code SPACE80 when you go to Talkspace.com. match with a licensed therapist today at Talkspace.com and save $80 with code [e-mail] that's Talkspace.com promo code SPACE80.

[Dave Anthony]

Sometimes Vern didn't have to look that hard for a fugitive. Like when a prisoner escaped and ran into a bar to kind of hide in with the crowd. Sure, but the bar happened to be holding a private event for cowboys.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Oh my God. Hell yeah. I ride the boys who ride the bulls. I'd like to hide in the baggage area of that bussy. Hello?

[Dave Anthony]

Hey,

[Gareth Reynolds]

we're doing improv. So what are you?

[Dave Anthony]

I don't think we are.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Come on, get involved, weirdo. All right.

[Dave Anthony]

You like to be the punk in your truck drunk?

[Gareth Reynolds]

Me.

[Dave Anthony]

After a bit, the fugitive was found out and the cowboys beat him up and left him laying in the street where a taxi ran over him.

[Gareth Reynolds]

What the fuck? And then Vern popped out of the taxi's trunk. Oh, shit. Taxi. That's what I'll say when I pop out of the cab. Yeah, yeah.

[Dave Anthony]

But the guy was yellow. The guy was still alive.

[Gareth Reynolds]

No.

[Dave Anthony]

And somehow mobile. And he ran and hopped a fence to hide in a yard. But there was a dog that Started attacking him.

[Gareth Reynolds]

This guy really didn't know how to pick hideouts, so then he got out of there, and he ran to a nearby factory that was making lava.

[Dave Anthony]

Vern accidentally found the guy on a gurney in the ER when he shouted, quote, God, I'm glad to see you guys.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Who said that?

[Dave Anthony]

The guy who'd been attacked.

[Gareth Reynolds]

What is he doing? He's just. Sweet God. Cops. It's over. One of you guys are my best friends.

[Dave Anthony]

One day, one of Vern's boxing students got into trouble, and then he got putting juvie and escape from juvie.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Juvie. Cool. So now we're really lowering our standards.

[Dave Anthony]

Well, he's trying to help this kid because he has, like, a boxing whatever club.

[Gareth Reynolds]

He's going to, like, shoot him and be like, what are you doing? Yeah, I love you. I'm your mentor.

[Dave Anthony]

So Vern went looking for him in Leavenworth county, and he's checking bars and dives, and he. He keeps noticing that there are flagrant liquor and gambling violations.

[Gareth Reynolds]

It's gonna be hard for him to bite his tongue on that one.

[Dave Anthony]

So he's incensed, and a little bit later, he's giving official testimony to the state legislature, and he uses that to air his grievances of all the shit he saw. Leavenworth was, quote, wide open with slot machines and one armed bandits all over the place.

[Gareth Reynolds]

What?

[Dave Anthony]

It's a slot machine.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Oh. I was like, what? Just a bunch of guys like, how are you? Hello.

[Dave Anthony]

This is big news all over the state, and the prosecuting attorney of Leavenworth county is really pissed. So he subpoenas Verne, thinking that he'll get him under testimony. And Verne would back off the story and tell, like, a lesser version of what he said.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Right.

[Dave Anthony]

And contradict his sworn testimony in front of the state legislature. So he's basically trying to entrap Vern into perjury.

[Gareth Reynolds]

You can't trap a dude who lives in a trunk. True.

[Dave Anthony]

And Verne comes and he brings an FBI agent turned lawyer when he shows up, but the lawyer isn't. The prosecutor won't allow the lawyer in.

[Gareth Reynolds]

He's not really a lawyer. Come on.

[Dave Anthony]

So Verne refuses to go in without him. So then the prosecutor's, like, tells two cops to arrest Vern for refusing to testify. Okay, so Verne's not about to go to jail for telling the truth. And he resists the clearly unlawful arrest. And he puts a hand on his pistol.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Jesus Christ.

[Dave Anthony]

And he shouts very angrily, quote, if either of you move, I'll kill you. So it's a cop, but very clear.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yep, it's a very clear order.

[Dave Anthony]

So the cops don't pull their guns, and Vern and his lawyers slowly back out.

[Gareth Reynolds]

The judge is like, what the fuck? I'm in charge. All right? Now we're gonna walk out of this courtroom without testifying, you understand?

[Dave Anthony]

So then they start heading to their car, and as they are, a deputy's waiting for them and gives them another subpoena.

[Gareth Reynolds]

God damn it.

[Dave Anthony]

So now Vern's really pissed. So instead of going back to Wichita, they drive straight to the Attorney General's office in Topeka. So they tell this guy the story and their plan for the next questioning with the prosecutor. Quote, we'll be returning to honor their subpoena, but we'll be bringing 30 armed deputies with us.

[Gareth Reynolds]

You fucking psychos. So crazy.

[Dave Anthony]

Yes. So after they leave the office, they get on the turnpike, and an attendant who's like. I guess like a. It must be like a toll booth type person.

[Gareth Reynolds]

A what?

[Dave Anthony]

It's an attendant, but it must be like a toll booth person.

[Gareth Reynolds]

How are you?

[Dave Anthony]

Hands them a radiogram. And it basically says, this, canceled. There's not going to be any questioning.

[Gareth Reynolds]

So, like, toll booth guy hands them.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah. So the fucking. The Attorney General must have called ahead to the toll booth. After he called the.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Hello?

[Dave Anthony]

He was like, no, this is the toll booth.

[Gareth Reynolds]

What? No, I take nickels. Huh? A radio. Who to which one? No. What? I don't understand. To who? Okay. There are probably like 30 cars before that where he's like, you don't have to go to trial. What? You're free to go. What are you talking about? I don't know. Have a radiogram. Okay. How are you, ma'? Am? This is your radiogram. You're Vern. You don't have to go to court. What? I don't know. The Attorney General. Go ahead. Here's your nickel. I don't need it. There's your radiogram, sir. You and your family who are ready to go to the beach, don't have to go to the court. What? I don't know. The Attorney General called a phone that I didn't even know existed in here, the fucking toll booth in like, 1968. 58.

[Dave Anthony]

So because of this incident, the state legislature created a new law and named it after Verne. And the law made it illegal to resist a clearly and obviously unlawful arrest.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Wait, what?

[Dave Anthony]

You heard that, right?

[Gareth Reynolds]

That is one of those moments that's like, yeah, that was a huge fuck up. You can't resist an Unlawful arrest, right? Oh, fuck me. You're under arrest. I didn't do anything. But. Okay, let's go. I plead my case. Just hand him a radiogram. I'm allowed to go. Shit.

[Dave Anthony]

Someone said something.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah, shut up.

[Dave Anthony]

Don't do that. In 1971, during Verne's unprecedented third term as Sheriff, Governor Docking asked him to run for Attorney General because he was so popular and would help the Dems up and down the ticket. And Verne was on board. But his wife hated politics.

[Gareth Reynolds]

We haven't heard much about her.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah, she was probably like, I hate him. Well, he decided to do the right thing for his family and get a divorce.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Holy shit.

[Dave Anthony]

So now that he's divorced, he can finally focus on campaigning. And in the middle of his first big campaign speech at the Kansas State Fair, Verne got a call about a race riot going on at a local high school. And he rushed over to see a group of black and white teenagers.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Whose side did he take?

[Dave Anthony]

Duking it out, Verne jumped into the fray with. With a couple others.

[Gareth Reynolds]

You leave these beautiful white boys alone.

[Dave Anthony]

He was dogpiled. He knew he had. He only had one move he could do. Punch the children.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Punch the children. Honestly, kind of a dream. Kind of a dream to just go into a high school fight and you're like a grown ass man and just. Grown ass man punch as you're going through a divorce. Divorce. They can't get that velocity on their punches that he has.

[Dave Anthony]

This is the most divorced guy moment.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Just like she hears about it, she's like, boy, did I make the right move. Did you hear what happened to Vern? Let me guess. He jumped out of a. He went to a high school and beat the shit out of 12 high schoolers. What? You want more? Who's next? Who's next? Burn. Daddy's on the scene, baby.

[Dave Anthony]

Woo.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Get up. I fucking dare you.

[Dave Anthony]

What are you, 14?

[Gareth Reynolds]

What are you, 12 years old? I'm 50. Fucking 8. Bam. Bam. Wow. Come on, get up. I'd love it. I would love it. I was the eighth grade valedictorian. Let's go.

[Dave Anthony]

He used his legs to power himself.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Are you Gabe's kid?

[Dave Anthony]

Yes.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Your dad's a very good man. Your dad is a very good friend of mine.

[Dave Anthony]

Why are you punching me?

[Gareth Reynolds]

I didn't know you were related to him. I'm going through a crazy divorce. I got divorced to be. I'm the Attorney General. I should point that. I'm the Attorney General. I should point that out. I'm running to be the Attorney General, so. And I got divorced because of it. You guys haven't eaten.

[Dave Anthony]

What's that?

[Gareth Reynolds]

I like to get wet.

[Dave Anthony]

What's that? What is that?

[Gareth Reynolds]

I like to get wet.

[Dave Anthony]

You like to get what?

[Gareth Reynolds]

Wet. Wet. I like to get wet. I want to get wet.

[Dave Anthony]

Oh, I get it. I don't know what you do.

[Gareth Reynolds]

You. No, you don't.

[Dave Anthony]

What does that mean?

[Gareth Reynolds]

I like to fucking party a little bit. And you guys seem pretty cool. I'm sorry I beat the fuck out of you all. My best friend was a donkey. Oh, my God. Peaches. You guys seen the donkey in the sun, too? Or am I just going through a divorce and just fought a bunch of high schoolers? How are you? I know, but I've never been able to figure out what my purpose really is. No, I haven't searched as much as I should have, I guess. Cause I got so busy getting caught up in the law. I know I should have respected it, but he was on a bus. That's pretty good. You smell drunk. That's why I'm in the trunk. That's a pretty good pitch. Yeah. When will I see you again, son? Donkey. Sorry I talked over you. Go ahead. Well, I look forward to that day. Did you kids see that donkey?

[Dave Anthony]

He used his legs to power himself up through the mass of bodies and pounded whatever faces came at him while taking a beating himself. The brawl lasted likewise.

[Gareth Reynolds]

How great is it to punch the Attorney General?

[Dave Anthony]

So he's not the Attorney General. He's running. He's running the sheriff.

[Gareth Reynolds]

How great is it to punch the sheriff?

[Dave Anthony]

Oh, the best.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Just be like, we are within our rights to fight the sheriff right now.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah. The brawl lasted an hour.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Verne was there, nobody else. Were they fighting in, like, a canyon?

[Dave Anthony]

Vern fighting mostly black kids. Fists and blood and teeth flying. Finally, other cops arrived and broke it up.

[Gareth Reynolds]

They're like, vern, Vern, Vern, Woo woo.

[Dave Anthony]

I tell you what, I love high school. I forgot.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I tell you. Carol and I split up.

[Dave Anthony]

Vern had a ripped, bloody suit and a big black eye. And then he went straight back to the state fair.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Can I get a turkey leg?

[Dave Anthony]

Papers.

[Gareth Reynolds]

He's just like throwing softballs into milk jugs. Come on.

[Dave Anthony]

Papers. Gave him a new campaign, a motto. True Grit.

[Gareth Reynolds]

So dumb. I folded the corner on this one.

[Dave Anthony]

I beat up a bunch of teenagers.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah. And they're like True Grit. Boy, it really is the. The beautiful romance between stupid media and rogue shitheads has really been a tried and true tradition of this shit.

[Dave Anthony]

Who's a rogue shithead? Now, the crime rate in the late 60s, early 70s Kansas wasn't that bad. But voters needed to be scared of something. And their fears rested squarely on whatever those degenerate college kids were doing at the University of Kansas.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Drinking Natty Light.

[Dave Anthony]

So Verne leaned into it. His main campaign promise was, quote, I'll land in the middle of the drug ridden hippie commune at Lawrence with both feet.

[Gareth Reynolds]

What a stupid slogan.

[Dave Anthony]

Gareth, the billboard has a black eye.

[Gareth Reynolds]

The what?

[Dave Anthony]

That's a billboard. Oh my God, he has a black eye.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Oh, oh my God. What the fuck? Miller for Attorney General. He needs help.

[Dave Anthony]

He won, of course. And immediately declared drugs public enemy number one. And focused on drug activity, liquor violations and gambling, including church. Bingo.

[Gareth Reynolds]

You old bit his head at good enough.

[Dave Anthony]

He personally led raids on clubs, gambling dens and churches.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Get in there.

[Dave Anthony]

This is first rate at the University of Kansas with 150 cops. He nailed some low level dealers with pot and a little bit of lsd. And the press reported as a resounding success.

[Gareth Reynolds]

They don't focus on how many people ate all the acid once they saw him. They forgot about the power move that many of the students at Kansas were like, I've been preparing my whole life for this moment. Tony. What are you gonna do? Eat the sheet? What? He's only gonna be here for like. Hey, did you guys. What's going on here? We got reports that there were LSD in the. Everything is blue LS3 in the place. Why did you have the LSD? You guys. Rolf. Rolf. Rolf. Rolf. Rolf. Rolf. Rolf.

[Dave Anthony]

Oh, he's stuck. This is only going to last nine days. So Vern lived a frugal life. He drove old Chevys and Fords, he got suits from Sears and he lived in a mobile home. But that didn't endear him to the ruling elite of Kansas. But the white suburban and working class voters loved him. During the next election, the Vietnam protests escalated in a big way. And Verne vowed to keep the peace.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah, just like we did when we went to Vietnam.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah. Which meant letting the cops beat the shit out of protesters. So the university chancellor accused Verne of using iron fisted politics. Verne got a well liked ex governor to say that the university chancellor quote, joins chicken fighters, operators of one armed bandits, private clubs that have gambling and drug peddlers in disliking Verne. And Verne won in a landslide.

[Gareth Reynolds]

You know what's so fucking, it's so dumb the way that it still works that we're like, we're going to stop the Violence. With extreme violence. Like, it's always the fighting, the war on drugs or the war on crime or whatever the. Yeah, you're being. What?

[Dave Anthony]

What?

[Gareth Reynolds]

Excuse me?

[Dave Anthony]

Oh, I'm being old preachy lib over here, right?

[Gareth Reynolds]

Excuse me. I'm being woke and I. This is a woke space.

[Dave Anthony]

No, it ain't.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yes, it is. You shut up.

[Dave Anthony]

I got ice waiting outside for you.

[Gareth Reynolds]

What? Bags of it.

[Dave Anthony]

You fucking Welsh. You fucking Welsh bastard.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Comedy ice.

[Dave Anthony]

Comedy ice.

[Gareth Reynolds]

How long until there's comedy ice?

[Dave Anthony]

Soon.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Excuse me. You the guy who did the joke about. Mm. Mm. What's your whole thing? I do props

[Dave Anthony]

now. Kansas, like many backward states, had absurd liquor laws. Had absurd liquor laws making it nearly impossible to know how to drink legally.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Wow.

[Dave Anthony]

Several counties were dry ones that weren't allowed. Allowed booze to be sold at liquor stores only. But taverns could serve 3.2% beer, and you could buy it at grocery stores. Bars could not pour liquor, but clubs were. Could, but only if you bought the bottle yourself. If you ran out, you had to go buy another bottle, a liquor store only, and give it to the bar. You could not drink it from somebody else's bottle.

[Gareth Reynolds]

That was Utah. That was what Utah was a lot of, like, that 3.2%. And you could go to, like. You had to have a license to go to a bar. They'd hold your liquor and some just walk in and be like, have some of my dram buoy.

[Dave Anthony]

Some states you drive around, you could only get one of those little tiny bottles. Liquor. You're like, what the fuck is happening right now?

[Gareth Reynolds]

That was the. That's also the best pilot, where you're like, all right, I'll take 800. Good fucking work. I'll feel like a drunk giant all night.

[Dave Anthony]

So since it was Kansas and things.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I hate when people drink liquor out of little things. It's so stupid, they look foolish. Oh, would you cut a deal with a little can of gin? We're all laughing at you, You tiny little man. We've got a big thing of booze

[Dave Anthony]

looking. Hobo.

[Gareth Reynolds]

You shut up, hobo. You.

[Dave Anthony]

So since it was Kansas and things were slow, Vernard wondered, Vernon wondered what to do about alcohol laws when people were traveling through Kansas. Like, what about trains? Amtrak. Pretty new. And in Vernon Verne's eyes, people were mocking the great state of Kansas by enjoying a cocktail while passing through the state.

[Gareth Reynolds]

That is the dumbest shit. And I'm not kidding in this story. That's the dumbest thing I've heard. So he beat up high Schoolers.

[Dave Anthony]

So he called. Called Amtrak, and Amtrak basically laughed at him. They were a federally funded entity and didn't have to abide by some podunk state's dumb laws. That pissed off Verne. So he did what he always does. He punched back. He put undercover. He put undercover comps on an Amtrak train and had them order liquor while in the state.

[Gareth Reynolds]

And then I'm gonna hide under the

[Dave Anthony]

train and I'll pop out through my legs.

[Gareth Reynolds]

He still crawls up. How are ya? Get out. Under arrest. We're undercover. I don't think I thought this.

[Dave Anthony]

At the very first Kansas stop, Vern had a battalion of cops board the train and shut it down.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Wow.

[Dave Anthony]

They arrested waitresses who were just doing their jobs.

[Gareth Reynolds]

What a fucking loser.

[Dave Anthony]

And when a conductor demanded an explanation, he was also arrested. So now the train can't move and the passengers are stuck.

[Gareth Reynolds]

You need a drink then. More than ever. Yeah.

[Dave Anthony]

And they can't get out until a new conductor has flown in from Chicago.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Oh, my God. It's like air travel.

[Dave Anthony]

So Verne afterwards just proudly boasted about the raid even as Amtrak filed an injunction to get him to stop. Quote, we cleaned them out. It took several men to carry out all the booze. The courts were not in their favor. The 21st Amendment allows states to control the flow of liquor into their boundaries. And unless it's about protecting immigrants or helping the working class people, there's nothing the US government loves more than upholding states rights.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Well, well, well, well, well, well.

[Dave Anthony]

So not everyone is on board. The Atchison Daily Globe called it a circus performance. This did not make one reader happy, who responded with a letter. Quote. You might be interested to know that the circus is the only form of entertainment that is uncensored today, and it is enjoyed by children of all ages. And as a member of the Circus Fans association of America, I hereby protest.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Sir.

[Dave Anthony]

The way in which you use the word circus to describe the public.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Sir.

[Dave Anthony]

Seeking antics. Signed, circus fan Julian Jimenez.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Sir. Sir. Sir. Sir. Sir. What are you doing?

[Dave Anthony]

Respect the circus.

[Gareth Reynolds]

The circus is a nightmare. Sir. God damn, it's crazy. And let's say it's not. What a wildly unhinged letter you wrote in. No. Yes, an unhinged letter. Why are you defending the circus's honor on that level? Are you part of the circus? Are you part of the circus? Sir. Are you part of the circus? Have you ever been associated with the circus?

[Dave Anthony]

I am headed clown.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Your head clown. Yes. I don't. I feel like I don't buy it.

[Sponsor Voice 3]

Sir.

[Dave Anthony]

Excuse me.

[Gareth Reynolds]

How did you sign the letter that you wrote into a publication?

[Dave Anthony]

Circus fan Julian Jimenez.

[Gareth Reynolds]

So it's weird to say you're the head clown and sign it circus fan?

[Dave Anthony]

What am I, in circus court? What's with the grilling?

[Gareth Reynolds]

All right, look, I'm just looking out for you. You seem, like, super stressed out. So

[Dave Anthony]

you came after circuses. We didn't.

[Gareth Reynolds]

We just. You're right.

[Dave Anthony]

Let me tell you something.

[Gareth Reynolds]

No, you're right. We use the headline.

[Dave Anthony]

I'm not done with just this letter. I'm gonna find you.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I'm standing next to you.

[Dave Anthony]

I'm like, I'm find you. I'm gonna fuck your family.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Excuse me, aren't you the guy?

[Dave Anthony]

I'm gonna find everybody you love.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Are you a clown or you're not? Very funny. What is your deal?

[Dave Anthony]

And I'm gonna kill him.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Vern. Vern.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Oh, my God.

[Dave Anthony]

Oh, hey. What's up? Nothing. Dude, I don't know how you figured me out. I was I too loud talking in the car.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Get out of the car with those 18 other people. The downside to the front,

[Dave Anthony]

The raid was so successful that airlines stopped boozing, serving booze over Kansas. Over Kansas while flying for. Well, what?

[Gareth Reynolds]

They think he's gonna have, like, a

[Dave Anthony]

flying squirrel sooner controlled disguise?

[Gareth Reynolds]

I think we can give you one whiskey. Oh, my God. There's a man on the wing. Open the door. I'll talk you. Hey. You're over Kansas now, bitches.

[Dave Anthony]

Hey.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Hey. Did you serve liquor?

[Dave Anthony]

Nope.

[Gareth Reynolds]

All righty.

[Dave Anthony]

Vern also focused on college students smoking weed.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Oh, my God.

[Dave Anthony]

He did massive busts and confiscated tons. He targeted rock concerts because, quote, the noisy trash generating rock concerts were hotbeds for the sale and usage of illegal drugs and alcohol and were therefore unwelcome in Kansas. He helped a prosecutor file an injunction to stop a rock concert because of drug trafficking, specifically hash. So they stopped it before it happened. So fucking because there might be hash.

[Gareth Reynolds]

You know, it's fucking incredible how much. I mean, obviously it's all fucking bullshit, but how much? They told us that we couldn't have it, it's illegal. And the amount of things that it just cures and helps and like, forever, they've just like, been like, no, you can't do that. And then it's like, it stops seizures and like, all this shit the whole time. Dickheads like this are like, stop smoking your pot. Your concert is to be enjoyed soberly. Not that I've ever tried it.

[Dave Anthony]

A law enforcement official called Wichita, the hashish capital of the world, Fucking pride, dude.

[Gareth Reynolds]

That should be a sash.

[Dave Anthony]

His only evidence was that Kansas was central in the US on a map. So he was like.

[Gareth Reynolds]

He was like. So it's also the central capital for chlamydia.

[Dave Anthony]

The sheriff was raid. The sheriff was super pissed at the accusation. Yet he still jacked up an enforcement.

[Gareth Reynolds]

By the way, the weed, the weed they were smoking back then was pine needles. Like you had to like.

[Dave Anthony]

It's like it was pretty bad.

[Gareth Reynolds]

You had to eat the roach to like feel it. You were just smoking like 19 bags of weed to be like, keep going.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah, yeah. So local hashish dealers went underground. So dumb Vern treated everyone equally, equally in the eyes of the law, no matter how rich or powerful. Ticky tack violation. They'd get arrested.

[Gareth Reynolds]

That's good.

[Dave Anthony]

This was most obvious when he went after gambling. The town of Great Bend had a quote, small socio political empire of elites who thought they could get away with anything. And regular people kept calling Vern's office complaining about leaders blatantly acting as if they were above the law by playing Vegas style games and slot machines in their social clubs. So Verne had to teach him a lesson. And this included some of his friends and peers. He and 60 cops drove back county roads with their headlights off at night to arrive undetected.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Just getting into accidents. Jesus Christ. I went off the road. Sir. Sir. I went off the road again. Sir, I can't see anything.

[Dave Anthony]

Keep going.

[Gareth Reynolds]

We're a little far away. Can we put the lights on for a little while maybe, Sir? No, I don't think I'm behind you anymore. Sir.

[Dave Anthony]

What was that?

[Gareth Reynolds]

My tires.

[Dave Anthony]

Okay, keep going.

[Gareth Reynolds]

All right. Are you. Sir, are you in the trunk?

[Dave Anthony]

I don't know.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Okay, hold on. Where are we?

[Dave Anthony]

Dark.

[Gareth Reynolds]

We're so lost. Ah. Hey. I don't think we're in Kansas anymore.

[Dave Anthony]

He's right, he's wrong. He's right.

[Gareth Reynolds]

He's wrong. I don't like that he used his hands to make the boo louder. He's in the front. He's like. He needs to feel this in his bones. It's so funny to get booed at your own show like well over an hour into it to be booed.

[Dave Anthony]

What about your co host agrees with the booing?

[Gareth Reynolds]

It's tough. It's pretty hard. It's pretty hard. I think that's why they do it.

[Dave Anthony]

So he knew the police chief and sheriff were in on it, so he didn't want to tip mop. That's why they drove, you know, in the dark forever. At 11:45pm they hit every club in an ambush, and Vern escorted the chief and sheriff to the places to show them he knew why. Why? They were in on it, right? And at one, Verne came upon one of his offers officers holding a fistful of cash. And Vern told them to, quote, take good care of it because it's going to the school fund. It did, by the way.

[Gareth Reynolds]

It didn't.

[Dave Anthony]

It did.

[Gareth Reynolds]

It did. What a weird time. The money went to the schools and teachers.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah.

[Gareth Reynolds]

For what?

[Dave Anthony]

I don't know.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Vern was like, put it in the middle of the auditorium. I'm going to fight them for it.

[Dave Anthony]

At this moment, a wasted city attorney rolled up and ordered the police chief to arrest version Verne and his guys for disturbing the peace. Verne then told the city attorney he was under arrest for gambling. And things got really tense until the senior officer who had the fistful of money said, quote, don't worry, General, if we go to jail, I've got bail money. And everyone laughed. And everyone realized Vern was actually about to get very punchy. So they hustled the attorney out of there before he had two black eyes.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Holy shit. What a loser.

[Dave Anthony]

So because of his popularity, the Democratic Party now wants him to run for governor.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I just. You gotta love him. Yeah, you gotta love him.

[Dave Anthony]

So he got his campaign up and running. So Verne caught. So while he's running for governor, he caught the current governor and other Dems in a bribery scandal to give a no bid construction contract in exchange for 30,000 in campaign donations.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Now, see, now I'm into it.

[Dave Anthony]

Now he's also a Dem, so this doesn't go over well with his fellow party members and the press go nuts. And the governor who was running for Senate has to bow out in disgrace. And the entire party turns on Verne.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Now, I like him.

[Dave Anthony]

Said they withdraw all their support. And Verne is alone, running only on name and reputation. And he only lost by 2500 votes.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Wow.

[Dave Anthony]

So now at office, Verne did what most men in his position could only dream of. Marry his secretary and build a house in the country.

[Gareth Reynolds]

You're a weird guy.

[Dave Anthony]

He opened a private practice, but got bored of DUIs and divorces. So he ran for and became Sedgwick county prosecuting attorney. Not too exciting like. Not like popping out of trunks with a rifle. Sure, there were some moments. Like headlining a local anti pornography event with anti gay bigot Anita Bryant.

[Gareth Reynolds]

You're telling me that woman didn't like porn? I've seen the video.

[Dave Anthony]

I don't get it. I don't get it. Did you explain it to me?

[Gareth Reynolds]

I believe they call it a cream pie.

[Dave Anthony]

Two young people protested by streaking across the stage. Unfortunately, Vern Miller was there, and he leapt out of the car and spear tackled a nude man.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Oh, that must have been the weirdest thing for him. He's like, his penis is on my khakis. His bare penis is on my khakis. And I don't hate it.

[Dave Anthony]

Verne retired shortly after and spent time riding motorcycles up the Alaskan highway. Oh, he went arving across the country with his secretary slash wife.

[Gareth Reynolds]

She's his wife now.

[Dave Anthony]

Well, he went to this Sturgis motorcycle rally where he enjoyed the show, which is now.

[Gareth Reynolds]

You know what? You gotta be a purist. That's not a circus. I wrote a letter 30 years ago to the paper.

[Dave Anthony]

I know you did. We know now.

[Gareth Reynolds]

My life's ending, okay? I'm almost dead. And I did it all for the circus.

[Dave Anthony]

What?

[Gareth Reynolds]

I love the circus. Three rings is a.

[Dave Anthony]

Okay. The big top.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Okay, I'm now gonna put my head in this lion's mouth.

[Dave Anthony]

Oh, please. Please.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I'm on a rope.

[Dave Anthony]

Please.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I'm on a rope high up.

[Dave Anthony]

Put your head in the lion's mouth, please.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Oh, no, let me finish.

[Dave Anthony]

Hold on. Let me cover it in ground beef.

[Gareth Reynolds]

What?

[Dave Anthony]

Your head.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Oh, no, you're not. No, that's a thing they did at the circus. I'm not gonna do that. And why would I put beef on my head before I. No, I've not enjoyed our talk.

[Dave Anthony]

Okay, bye, bye.

[Gareth Reynolds]

You're going on to your thing now?

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah, I'm done with you. After four years, he missed action. The action in Unretired, and he worked in private practice, taking a few cases here and there until he died on June 11, 2021, at 92 years. This is written by Josh Androwski. The. The source is Verne Miller, legendary Kansas law man, by Mike Danford. I. When I recently read about him, I was like, this guy sounds crazy. And then I got this book and this guy was like, wow, he's the best Lobman ever. And, like, reading. He's fucking crazy. The Wichita Eagle, the Lawrence Daily Journal World and the Atchison Daily Globe.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Was Dirty Harry based on him or anything?

[Dave Anthony]

I don't think Dirty Harry or like

[Gareth Reynolds]

any of those shows, I don't think so. Does it not feel. Was he like an escalatory character when it comes to. To the way that policing worked? Because he was, like, celebrated for his. A bit of his unhinged violence.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah, I mean, like shooting people.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I feel like back in the day, the police were like, chase him. And then eventually it was like, shoot him. Like when they were running away, which just became this insane trend.

[Dave Anthony]

It changed when the Supreme Court was like, yeah, you can shoot them if they're running away. Like, that's when that changed.

[Gareth Reynolds]

And that happened before he started shooting them.

[Dave Anthony]

Yeah, they, I think it was the 60s, like 68 or something. Or maybe a little bit later when the Supreme Court was like, yeah, you can just shoot them if they're running away. It's no big deal.

[Gareth Reynolds]

Yeah, that was a really. That was a bad one. That was another bad one. Yeah. Tell you what, the Supreme Court, I'm not.

[Dave Anthony]

Not a fan.

[Gareth Reynolds]

I'll tell you, the last 80 years, I'm not really feeling it. I'm not really. I'm not into it. All right, thank you, everybody. Appreciate it. Thanks for coming out. Kansas City. Thank you. Bye. Love you. Dave's Shoes. Give it up for Dave Shoes, everybody. Thank you.

[Sponsor Voice 3]

The bladder leak revolution is here, and it's not what you think. Forget the pads, the leak proof underwear, or the Kegel video games. If you're leaking when you laugh, sneeze, cough, or work out, you're definitely not alone. But just because it's common doesn't mean you have to live with it or manage it with pads and underwear that just soak up the mess. There is finally a better option, and it's called Yurasta. A doctor invented reusable vaginally inserted device that supports your bladder from within to stop leaks before they happen. Think of it as a sports bra for your bladder, providing support within during those moments of pressure, like when you sneeze, jump, laugh, or cough. No surgery, no prescription. You don't even have to remove yiresta to use the bathroom. 97% of women see a reduction in leaks and 90% are still using it a year later. Go to yeresta.com to learn more about this amazing breakthrough. Trusted by over 50,000 women. That's u r e s t a dot com shop the Sherwin Williams sale and get 30% off duration. Woodscapes and Superdeck products May 1st through the 11th. Whether you're refreshing your interior or exterior, we've got the colors to bring your vision to life. And with delivery, getting everything to your door is easier than ever. Shop online to have it delivered or visit your neighborhood Sherwin Williams store. Click the banner to learn more. Retail sales only some exclusions apply. See store for details. Delivery available on qualifying orders.