Law roundup: With friends like these ...

Officers with the Kalispell Police Department were called in to apparently try and smooth things over between two friends suddenly at odds. One of the men, who appeared drunk, told the police that his friend and roommate of three years punched him in the head with a closed fist several times over the night before. He admitted that the beating was precipitated by him calling his friend a name. While the man displayed minor injuries, he said those were unrelated to the fight.

When officers sat down with the other man, he told them that his friend often drank to excess and grew aggressive when he imbibed. The night prior was such a night, he said, and told officers he left to avoid a fight. He suspected the other man’s injuries came from a car accident as he arrived home that evening with two flat tires.

A neighbor corroborated that part of the story, telling officers they saw the alleged victim emerge from a car with two flat tires with a bleeding cut above the eye.

Unable to determine whether a crime had been committed, officers opted to give both men a little advice.

Coming across a motorcycle left behind a couple of sheds, a caller asked authorities to check it out. They determined it was not listed as stolen. When they finally met up with the owner, he told them it had broken down and he was working on retrieving it.

A woman told authorities she was tired of seeing a neighborhood dog chasing after deer. She said she was “about ready to shoot the dog,” which dispatchers discouraged her from doing. An officer later reached out to the caller and asked her to phone in incidents as they happen and let her know that the animal in question lacked a history of chasing wildlife. Officers also contacted the owner of the dog to apprise her of the situation.

A woman reportedly was picking flowers on the side of the building in an indecent manner. A caller told police that while she was wearing a skirt, it was pushed up to her waist. She was not wearing pants or underwear, they said.

Someone found a little lost piggy in their yard and contacted police. A neighbor later arrived to retrieve the pig.

Errant shopping carts led to a motorist contacting police. The driver told officers that a store employee intentionally shoved the carts into her vehicle. Authorities spoke with the store manager, who reviewed video of the incident. They said that it looked like the motorist was speeding through the parking lot and the employee was unable to stop the carts in time to avoid a collision.

Officers received a copy of the footage and deemed it unintentional. They told the driver that it fell short of criminal mischief and she would be better served contacting her insurance company.

A man who sold a vehicle but left the license plates on it reported racking up toll bills in Washington. He said he had begun receiving calls from highway patrol officers in that state and wanted the license plates reported as stolen.