Resident says police delayed and redacted dog-bite report, council hears

David Bauer, a visitor to Quartzsite, told the Town Council during the public-comment period that he was bitten at a town park in mid-December 2025 and has since undergone surgery for his thumb.

"I had 3 pins in there," Bauer said, describing subsequent rabies shots and medical treatment. He told the council he had difficulty obtaining a timely police report and that the version he eventually received was dated January 8, 2026 rather than the date of the incident. Bauer also disputed the animal description in the report: "Throughout this report, it talks about a doberman that attacked me. There was no doberman that attacked me. It was a Rottweiler," he said.

Bauer said the delay and redactions in the report left him without information about the dog owner or insurance and that he had incurred substantial medical bills. "Your police chief wouldn't do anything to help me," he said, adding that he had contacted state police and was considering further action.

The council acknowledged Bauer's remarks during the meeting; the record shows the complaint was raised during call to the public but the transcript does not include a formal response from the police chief or a staff direction to follow up at this meeting. The transcript records Bauer's statement that he spoke with the mayor and received a callback only days before the meeting.

Next steps were not recorded on the transcript. The council did not take a formal vote or issue a recorded directive on the complaint during the session.