CROTHERSVILLE

When the Crothersville Town Council learned a gun range was erected on town property without approval, it was quickly shot down.

Council President Danieta Foster said the gun range was established in mid-December along County Road 400S north of the town on a 1.1-acre site that used to serve as a landfill. The landfill was used when Crothersville had its own trash pickup and was closed in the 1970s, she said.

None of the five council members knew about the range, which involved mounds of dirt taken to the site and targets put up.

At this point, Foster said it’s unclear who had a part in the construction.

“It was an employee or employees who erected it, but I think it was just an idea that popped in someone’s head, and they ran with it,” she said.

The range was dismantled and the dirt was removed by town employees Jan. 3.

Council members expressed their opinions about the matter during the Jan. 2 meeting.

“I don’t know who had anything to do with this gun range, but it’s about the stupidest thing that could have happened,” Councilman Lenvel “Butch” Robinson said. “You need to use your head a little bit before you jump in and just do something or at least contact someone, like your insurance company or your attorney, before you dive in here and do things.”

Robinson and Councilman Bob Lyttle both said the gun range could have been a liability for the town without going through the proper channels. Anyone erecting a gun range must follow strict state and federal guidelines.

Plus, Lyttle said the mound of dirt behind the targets wasn’t as high as it needed to be.

The whole situation could have caused the town to lose its insurance.

“The direction they (would be) shooting in with a high-powered rifle and it isn’t very far from (U.S.) 31, you kill somebody going down 31 and see what kind of town we have left,” Robinson said.

“They should have come to the board,” Robinson said. “I don’t know how in the world anything like that got done behind the scenes … but it can’t stay out there, according to our insurance people.”

Foster said she doesn’t know if the range was ever used.

Town employees hauled the dirt away, leveled the ground and took down the targets. A chain across the driveway was left to keep people off of the property.