Law roundup: Officers take out the trash — literally

One man’s trash is another man’s possible drug stash and concerned residents had officers with the Kalispell Police Department sifting through several piles of rubbish on the lookout for suspicious items. One resident told authorities he found a bag of paraphernalia strewn about his back steps. Responding officers found a broken glass pipe, but nothing criminal in nature. They picked up the litter.

In another investigation, officers responded to a call concerning a weed whacker and other debris stashed in the bushes behind a building. They reported finding nothing suspicious.

Suspecting he was the victim of a scam, a man contacted police to tell them someone claiming to be a salesman sold him advertising space at a local supermarket in 2020. He had since learned that the ad space was free and available to anyone. When officers contacted the salesman, the accused con artist insisted he worked for a legitimate business with a contract with the supermarket’s parent company. Officers then verified all of that with the supermarket’s manager, who provided a digital version of the contract.

When informed, though, the supposed victim insisted he was taken advantage of by the salesman. Officers told him it was now a civil matter.

Someone thought they spotted a man beating his dog from the window of their hotel. Officers tracked the man and his pet down, later determining the dog was in fine health.

Someone punched a man in the face. The victim told police that his assailant lives across the way from him and busted into his room before hitting him. He had since hopped on a motorcycle and driven away.

A caller asked to speak with an officer regarding the homeless community in the area. When they got in touch, she asked what they planned to do about “all the homeless people” in Depot Park. She thanked officers for running extra patrols, but said she was “extremely upset” by the “homeless issue” in Depot Park in particular as well as Kalispell and the valley.

A passerby spotted a woman with a walker headed northbound on the side of the road and phoned police because she looked “really bad” and red in the face. The passerby did not stop to ask if the woman needed help. Responding officers failed to find her.

A resident accused his neighbor of threatening to beat him up. Arriving officers counseled both individuals.

Someone spotted a panting dog locked inside a car parked in town. They reached in through a window to offer the animal water while they alerted police. Before officers arrived, the vehicle’s owner returned and loaded it up with groceries and left. Officers contacted the individual listed on the vehicle’s registration and left them a message warning them against leaving a dog in a hot car.