It apparently began with dog poop. It escalated to a homeowner drawing a .357 Magnum handgun, his visitor being arrested and calls for a Lakewood police advisory committee member to step down.

The neighborhood dispute near American Lake led to three residents speaking out at two City Council meetings this month. They asked city leaders to remove Morris Quimby from the volunteer Lakewood public safety advisory committee after two years of service.

Quimby, a former police officer, pulled his gun on neighbor Willie Carter during a confrontation at Quimby�s house July 19, according to a Lakewood police report obtained by The News Tribune.

Carter was upset Quimby had confronted him a day earlier while he walked his dogs past Quimby�s home. The police report says Carter went back to Quimby�s house, yelled and threatened him. Two neighbors say they witnessed it.

�When I opened the door he threatened to kill me, blow my house up and burn it down,� Quimby wrote in a statement to police.

�I told him to leave (he was on my enclosed front porch) but he kept screaming profanities and threats,� according to Quimby�s statement. �Fearing for my safety I secured a firearm which is kept near the door.�

Both men called authorities, and Carter was arrested. He spent a couple of hours in jail. His jury trial for harassment is scheduled to begin Dec. 16 in Lakewood Municipal Court.

The 52-year-old says police painted an inaccurate picture. He said Quimby had warned him a day earlier to clean up after his dogs or he�d take matters into his own hands. As Quimby pulled away in his truck, �he told me, �I know where you live,��� Carter claims.

He says he walked to Quimby�s house the next day to assure him his dogs weren�t defecating on the lawn, and he would make sure they never would. According to his account and police reports, it quickly turned ugly.

Carter, whose nickname is �Congo,� said he knocked on the door and Quimby answered.

Carter remembers the conversation escalating fast, even though he claims he wasn�t raising his voice. He said Quimby told him to get off his property, then warned he had a gun. When Carter didn�t move, Quimby showed the gun and pointed it, Carter said. Carter said he backed away and began to yell and curse. Carter admits it was wrong and said it wasn�t his usual behavior, but it was his natural reaction to having a gun in his face.

Carter is the founder of Congo Productions, which promotes cultural awareness through music and other arts. Neighbors and organizations who�ve worked with him say he�s a good guy, including Tacoma Events Commission CEO Doug Miller. Miller�s group organizes Tacoma�s annual Freedom Fair, where Carter plays drums.

Quimby filed a restraining order against Carter after the July encounter. Carter received a notice to appear in court in early October, and that prompted him to speak to the Lakewood City Council, seeking Quimby�s removal from the police advisory panel. Carter was joined by his girlfriend and a friend.

�There was no reason for me to be mad at Morris Quimby at all,� Carter said last week. �It was a small thing. Let�s face it, a dog thing, a kid thing � that�s a neighborhood thing.�

He believes police haven�t investigated the incident fairly because Quimby is a former police officer with influence on the public safety committee.

Lakewood Police Chief Bret Farrar said Quimby never worked as a Lakewood officer, and that the committee is strictly advisory. The main reason officers arrested Carter was witness statements. One person told police that Carter threatened to beat and kill Quimby�s wife, according to the police report.

Carter has a criminal history that includes violation of a harassment no-contact order in 1997 and driving with a suspended license in 1998. His only legal trouble since then was a fourth-degree assault charge dismissed in Lakewood Municipal Court in 2001.

Quimby previously gained attention for a confrontation over a dog. As an Auburn police officer, he shot a dog that was on a leash while responding to a silent house alarm in 1999. A police review board found that the animal posed a risk and that the shooting was justified.

Quimby couldn�t be reached for comment last week.

Mayor Doug Richardson said the city wouldn�t consider taking action regarding the advisory committee until Carter�s trial is over.

�Mr. Quimby is not the one on trial,� Richardson said.

Brent Champaco: 253-597-8653
brent.champaco@thenewstribune.com