Bourbon County Clerk Refiles to Block Recall Petition After Court Rejects Initial Request

FORT SCOTT, Kan. — Bourbon County Clerk Susan Walker filed an amended application for a temporary restraining order Tuesday, seeking a court order to halt the circulation of a recall petition against her. The filing comes after the court rejected her initial request to block the petition without a formal hearing.

Walker's amended application names County Attorney James Crux, who certified the petition, and three members of a local recall committee as defendants, asking the court to halt what she argues is a legally invalid petition.

According to court documents, Walker's attorney, Jonathan L. Ehrlich, contacted all named defendants May 26 seeking to schedule a hearing. Bourbon County Counselor Bob Johnson, who Ehrlich contacted at the request of Crux, said he had forwarded the case to the county's insurer to arrange legal representation for Crux.

According to the filing, attempts to coordinate a hearing date with recall committee members Kyle R. Parks, Kevin Wagner and Lyle K. Owenby were unsuccessful. One member did not return a voicemail, another hung up on Walker's counsel, and a third said he had spoken to an attorney and intended to hire him before discussing a hearing date.

In a supporting affidavit, Walker said the ongoing petition drive has caused substantial disruption to the daily operations of the clerk's office. She cited an influx of phone complaints driven by social media discourse and the diversion of county resources away from official duties.

Walker also alleged personal harassment, stating that members of the public have taken unsolicited photographs of her and her family outside of work hours.

"The continued circulation of the petition and related conduct threatens to further impair the effective operation of the Clerk's Office and the delivery of services to the residents of Bourbon County," Walker said in the affidavit.

A copy of the amended restraining order request is linked below this article.

Click the stories below for more information on the recall effort and response.