Law roundup: Fireworks don’t go over well with neighbors

Revelers trying to extend the Fourth of July festivities beyond the holiday kept the Kalispell Police Department busy after dark.

One group earned an education on the city’s fireworks ordinance after a neighbor reported them for putting on a pyrotechnics show several days after Independence Day. The group agreed to halt the festivities after the visit from officers.

Two other city residents called in their neighbors for similar displays, though officers were unable to locate the group after driving through the neighborhood.

Officers spoke with a pair of people near a motorhome tossing fireworks at passing vehicles.

A property manager asked police to put an end to a family’s display in his parking lot, but responding officers were unable to locate any fireworks.

In other noise calls, officers were asked to handle an allegedly constantly barking dog. After speaking with the dog’s owner, they learned he was aware of barking, but denied it was an all-day affair. Officers gave him advice on how to cut down on the barking and filled him in on the relevant city ordinances.

Another group of barking dogs earned their owner a visit by the police. The woman told officers that she is at home during the day and keeps her dogs in with her, but admitted they barked at the neighbors through the fence. Officers gave her a few suggestions for reining in the animals’ noise, but warned her that future complaints could lead to citations.

Officers rescued a dog, possibly a Maltese poodle mix or a black labradoodle mix, that had just given birth to puppies under an area canopy. The dog and eight puppies were taken to the county animal shelter.

An employee of an area business group called police after spotting people using the space between the library and a nearby church as a public restroom. Officers agreed to add extra patrols to the area.

Officers tracked down a reportedly unruly woman after receiving complaints that she was running in circles in a public park, yelling and doing flips. The callers suspected she might be on drugs. The woman told officers she was dehydrated and planned to drink water.

Authorities investigated a red Pontiac Grand Am suspected of being abandoned near an apartment complex. They found the vehicle left with a flat tire, broken window, toy handcuffs attached to the driver’s side door handle and smelling strongly of cat urine.

A mall employee reported the theft of a large chess piece. The worker told police they just wanted the piece of the set back and asked that officers ban the perpetrator from the mall for 60 days.

A caller summoned officers to the parking lot of a big box retailer for a report of a man enjoying a cocktail, tossing out trash and going to the bathroom outside of his sport utility vehicle. Authorities were unsuccessful in locating the man.

Store employees reported a woman to police after her 15th unsuccessful attempt at shoplifting from the business.