Law Roundup: Drug talk raises hackles in Whitefish
A group hanging out on O’Brien Avenue in Whitefish aroused the suspicion of a passerby who contacted the Whitefish Police Department and requested an extra patrol of the area. The tipster had not noticed anything specifically illegal about the gathering, but said members of the group were arguing and talking about drugs.
Another passerby tried to lend a hand to a possibly “extremely drunk” fellow walking home. Calling police, the passerby said the man was stumbling and falling. At one point, the man passed out after crumpling to the ground. The passerby told officers he planned to offer the man a ride home and at the very least follow him as he went “before he falls and cracks his head open.”
Officers brought one or more individuals setting up a campsite within city limits, complete with a tent, up to speed on Whitefish’s camping ordinance. The people agreed to leave in the morning.
A caller alerted authorities to a red sport utility vehicle that pulled into the parking lot of the dog park as police vehicles passed by in either direction. The tipster said they phoned police thinking that officers might be out looking for someone.
Four men were reported for drinking and then hopping into a vehicle. Authorities were unable to locate the vehicle, which was described as a Toyota Highlander with California plates.
A property manager turned to police for help after an evicted tenant pledged to return to his former digs. The manager told authorities that he wanted the former tenant moved along if he made good on the pledge.
Possible bear droppings led a resident to believe that a bruin was ransacking neighborhood trash cans. While the caller had yet to see the bear, judging from the size of the excrement, it was “a biggie.”
Police were asked to look in on a man apparently giving away money to children. A parent contacted the department after the man, described as in his 60s and in a pickup truck boasting a rear view mirror decoration from the TV show “The Simpsons,” tried to give their child a $1 bill. When the parent objected, saying they don’t accept gifts from strangers, the man disagreed with the description.
“I’m not a stranger,” he allegedly said. “I love kids.”
The exchange left the parent feeling uncomfortable.
An ex-girlfriend apparently failed to take the hint and returned to her former lover’s home after stealing his key off of a key ring the night prior. The man asked for police help in having her removed, which is not one of Paul Simon’s listed “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover,” but possibly still effective, after she jumped in his shower.