Apparent non-burglary leads to gunfire
The Flathead County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to a Lion Mountain Drive home outside Whitefish just after midnight Tuesday morning when a woman fired a gun out of one of the home’s doors at what she believed was a burglar.
When deputies arrived, they were met by her boyfriend, holding up a .45-caliber handgun. According to Flathead County Sheriff Chuck Curry, he walked up and said “Someone tried to break into my house and my girlfriend shot at him with this gun.”
No footprints were discovered around the door, and deputies concluded that the report of the burglar was unfounded.
In another incident, deputies were unable to locate a man who drew a handgun and pointed at his wife’s head during an argument on Middle Road in Columbia Falls. The woman reported that he said he would shoot both her and the police if police indeed showed up. She also reported that he broke all her phones. A warrant was issued for his arrest.
A Cynthia Drive man with a fearless fiancee reported someone was sneaking around their back yard and messing with their animals, and that his fiancee was outside with a 9mm handgun looking for them. He said they have had an ongoing issue with people breaking into their garage.
A concerned citizen reported a man on Ridgewood Drive with a warrant out for his arrest was planning on fleeing the state, but the citizen was advised that there were too many people in the county jail to accept any new inmates on misdemeanor warrants.
A Westwood Lane man reported his daughter’s 15-year-old friend was passed out in the yard with blood on him, and that when the boy came to, he started to vomit uncontrollably. The boy was taken to the hospital.
A confused and upset Birch Grove Road woman called to ask why her husband received a warrant in the mail for partner or family member assault even though she didn’t want charges pressed. She was advised that whether or not charges are filed is up to the Flathead County Attorney’s Office, not the involved parties.
An Overlook Trail resident complained about several unwelcome guests at a party at the house the prior night who stole an XBox video game console, knives, credit cards, and cash.
A drunk driver with poor getaway skills was arrested after hitting a Camaro with his pickup truck and getting stuck. The man confronted the owner of the vehicle he hit, yelling at him, before ramming other vehicles. He was also combative when taken into custody.
A frightened Four Mile Drive resident reported his neighbor’s vicious dog kept coming onto his property, most recently coming up to him and his wife and baring its teeth, “wanting to eat them.”
A belligerent transient who surprised a worker on U.S. 2 East in West Glacier, asking for free food and clothing, was advised to use his manners “while asking for free stuff.”
A missing wedding ring led a Maple Drive man to suspect his ex-wife, who had just visited the day prior.
A West Bowman Drive woman shared her confusion with dispatch after receiving a text about an “impending terrorist attack.”
An irate woman was reported near Cynthia Drive, screaming at a man that he needed to get a job and that he ruined her trust fund, as well as random obscenities.
An apparent assault victim was so drunk he didn’t know where he was, but he was given a statement to fill out once he sobered up.
A report of a man shooting geese at a preserve for birds along U.S. 2 West in Marion turned out to be a man shooting gophers.
A light pole with two of its three cables snapped caused a report to the Whitefish Police Department and an eventual response by a Flathead Electric Co-op repair crew after a person reported part of the Spokane Avenue pole was going to fall into the street.
A string of thefts and attempted thefts from unlocked vehicles were reported between 6:50 a.m. and 12:22 p.m. Monday, including doors found open on several unlocked vehicles on Somers Avenue, keys stolen from an unlocked vehicle on Columbia Avenue, and a checkbook stolen from an unlocked vehicle on U.S. 93 South.
Columbia Falls Police Department had a report of the theft of a $4,000 rail saw and two grinders from Burlington Northern Santa Fe on Railroad Street.
A concerned passerby reported three youths climbing the fences at the ball fields in Mosquito Flats and was worried they could get hurt if they fell.
A would-be thief went wild at a Diane Road home, damaging a barbecue while trying to steal it, trying to steal several children’s bicycles, and trying to get into the gas tank of the resident’s vehicle.