Car skids, tips and then catches fire
Flathead County sheriff
A vehicle reportedly caught fire after going into a skid and tipping on its side in the Helena Flats area Wednesday afternoon. The car’s single occupant got out and was OK. The cause of the engine fire is reportedly unknown and apparently neither impact nor speed contributed to it. About a third of the car was in flames, but the Evergreen Fire Department was able to extinguish the blaze fairly quickly.
Walking on the shoulder of U.S. 2, a 20-year-old man was reportedly struck in the head by a chunk of ice as it flew off a snowplow blade around 8 p.m. Tuesday. The man, who sustained a cut to his ear, called the Flathead County Sheriff’s office from a cell phone, then was taken to the hospital by a private vehicle. The driver of the plow was not cited as this was apparently not a criminal issue.
Using her cell phone, a woman called from the passenger seat of a Chevy Tahoe to report the driver for erratic driving. The two were apparently arguing. Eventually, the man pulled the car over along Whitefish Stage, got out and began walking. Both parties were counseled.
A 12-year-old boy reportedly fractured his wrist during wrestling practice at a high school on Fourth Avenue West.
A stray puppy reportedly seen wandering near Montana 83 was taken to an animal shelter on Cemetery Road around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday.
After trains were shut down due to inclement weather, a woman was reportedly being verbally abusive to a station employee.
A concerned citizen called deputies after reportedly seeing people drinking at a bar on Montana 35 around 3 a.m. Wednesday. A deputy responded and reportedly found nothing suspicious.
A resident of Kings Loop in Evergreen called to report that his neighbor yells at him every time he plows his driveway. Deputies counseled him.
A horse in a corral on Riverside Drive in Evergreen that reportedly couldn’t stand and kept collapsing had apparently just tangled its legs in its blanket. The horse is OK, not paralyzed as was initially reported.
Deputies received 142 calls for service between 3:30 p.m. Tuesday and 3:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Kalispell police
Responding to a report of a bank robbery at a bank on Commons Way, Kalispell Police discovered nothing out of the ordinary. They checked other branch banks in Kalispell and determined that the call must have been a hoax.
A German-shepherd puppy was reportedly running in traffic on U.S. 93 South near a thrift store.
Tuesday night, someone reportedly knocked on the door of a woman’s mobile home on East California, then ran away at least three times. The suspect was gone when police arrived.
A dog was reportedly in a Mazda truck with a topper for a few hours on Tuesday afternoon. Apparently the dog was barking and fogging up the windows. Officers arrived and observed that the dog was OK and probably better off inside the vehicle than outside in the elements.
A man panhandling near the turn-off for a hardware store off U.S. 93 North left when officers arrived.
Officers received 52 calls for service between 2:30 p.m. Tuesday and 2:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Whitefish police
One person was transported to the hospital with unknown injuries following a single-vehicle accident at the intersection of Baker Avenue and West 10th Street, according to Whitefish Police.
Officers received 42 calls for service between 3:30 p.m. Tuesday and 3:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Columbia Falls police
Columbia Falls Police received 18 calls for service between 3:30 p.m. Tuesday and 3:30 p.m. Wednesday.