Law Roundup: Who was that masked man?

Was it Spring-Heeled Jack, Batman, a parkour enthusiast or just a bungling burglar? A Kalispell resident who caught a black-clad, mask-wearing individual running around on his roof couldn’t make heads or tails of it. He told the Kalispell Police Department that he yelled at the interloper, described as a male, to leave.

The masked man was last seen heading down an alleyway and responding officers turned up no one matching the description. The resident told police that, while he didn’t know what the individual was up to, the man did not seem to be trying to break into his home.

Officers responded to a report of a young child left unattended in a parked vehicle. The caller told authorities that the child, accompanied just by an iPad or other electronic device, had been there for about 30 minutes. They suspected the child’s parents were up to no good.

But arriving officers found the vehicle devoid of life. They spoke to parents who explained that, yes, their 9-year-old was sitting in the car, but it was while they were playing with their two younger children nearby. Officers deemed the report unfounded.

An alleged voyeur peeked in the windows of several homes, prompting a phone call to police. The caller told dispatchers that the woman came to their attention after she walked up to their daughter’s window. Soon after, the woman peered into their neighbor’s house. The caller said that their spouse confronted the woman, who said that she was “looking for someone.”

Someone asked officers to run an extra patrol through their neighborhood to deter a dog from barking.

Employees at a local hotel contacted authorities after a guest reported another guest for abusing animals. The first guest told arriving officers that they heard their neighbor yelling at a dog and suspected the animal had received a beating. Officers spoke with the pet-owner, who acknowledged raising her voice when the dog went to the bathroom inside. The dog, officers noted, seemed healthy and energetic. There were no visible injuries to the animal.

A caller reported 12 individuals hanging out in the grass, a place they should not have been lounging. Arriving officers found four transients and asked them to move along. The quartet agreed to clean up and leave.

Caught stealing candy from a store, a man earned a lifetime ban. Officers were called to the grocery store when employees saw the man return to the business after purchasing supplies. He allegedly grabbed a candy bar and stuck it in his backpack before walking back out. The thief admitted taking the candy when officers arrived and said he “was not thinking.” He received a civil penalty for theft and was warned for criminal theft of a candy bar.

Officers gave a stranded motorist a jump and sent her on her way.

Graffiti on the mural in the tunnel under the bypass was brought to the attention of investigators. Someone had taken black and red paint to the artwork. A resident with a self-professed background working for Homeland Security suspected several of the markings were gang-related.