Law roundup: Deal to buy fireworks fizzles
Law roundup: Deal to buy fireworks fizzles
A deal to jointly purchase a cache of fireworks went up in flames. A couple agreed to pool together $300 for the pyrotechnics, but friction between the two led to a fight and the man left in his car, which contained the fireworks. The woman later told officers with the Kalispell Police Department that when she asked for her share of the fireworks, he demanded $1,000, saying she owed him money anyway. Officers ended up walking the woman through the civil court process.
An impromptu fireworks display on the bicycle lane of a busy road prompted a police response. They learned that the demonstration was the handiwork of a customer testing out their new purchases. Officers counseled the employees at the nearby fireworks stand.
Returning home to discover his lawnmower missing, a local man was forced to conclude that someone who knew he was out of town the previous few days must have waited for the opportunity to strike. The man passed along a description of the machine to officers and eventually, after he found it, the serial number. He called back a few hours later to tell investigators he thought he spotted the lawnmower on a social media marketplace.
A thief broke into a car while the owner was at work. The owner told police they thought it was locked and reported several missing items.
Employees reported a shoplifter taking off with a hat and pair of boots.
Worried a woman lying unconscious in the sun was the victim of an attack, an onlooker phoned police asking for a welfare check.
A stranger hanging out near a group of kids in a public area irked a parent, who phoned the police for help. Officers ended up citing several people for park violations and advised the man he was banned from the premises.
A man catching a few winks on a bench earned a visit from police officers after the manager of a nearby business spotted him asleep. Officers woke the man, reminded him he was banned from the property and moved him along.
An errant firework left a patch of wood chips in a median strip in a parking lot smoldering, according to one onlooker. They told authorities the smoke from the pile of wood chips was growing worse and they worried the wind might spread the burgeoning blaze. They ended up dousing it with water bottles.
A woman reported the theft of her marijuana from a gas station.
Finding an abandoned backpack in an alley, a resident phoned police worried its owner might have been abducted. Arriving officers determined there was nothing suspicious about the bag and noted the caller had little by way of evidence to prove the abduction theory. When they checked the bag, they found two pairs of “stinky” shoes. Officers tossed the footwear.
Authorities were asked to take care of five bags filled with lawn trimmings.