Law roundup: Truant up front about skipping school

A juvenile took a matter-of-fact approach to explaining her absence from school to officers with the Columbia Falls Police Department, shrugging and telling them she didn’t want to be there. Authorities tracked down the girl at the behest of her mother, who told officers she should have been in a classroom when she was instead last seen at a local laundromat. After counseling the girl on her behavior, officers turned her over to her uncle. 

A parking dispute on Nucleus Avenue ended up involving both the police and city manager. The superintendent of a project phoned authorities after a dark gray Ford F150 had been left at the site for two days. He described it as part of an ongoing dispute with the truck’s owner and said he had previously spoken with the Police Department and other officials at City Hall about the issue. Officers suggested he call a tow company. 

A house hunter discouraged by the market apparently made an off-hand comment mistaken for a threat of self-harm. Police tracked down the man, who said he had no plans to harm himself. 

Officers separated two men after responding to reports of a fistfight on Second Avenue. The person who called in the melee reported seeing at least one punch thrown. Arriving officers found the men arguing. They counseled the pair and sent them on their separate ways. 

Authorities attempted to track down a noise complaint on Nucleus Avenue, but reported hearing no loud music. 

Police advised a motorist about park closing times. 

Officers returned to its home a female black labrador retriever found wandering on First Street. 

Supermarket employees evacuated their Nucleus Avenue store after a man allegedly called with a bomb threat. The caller demanded a manager to walk across the street and deliver him $1,000. Another manager told responding officers the same stunt had been pulled at other stores in the chain across the region. Investigators later deemed the threat unfounded. 

A dog owner agreed to put the dogs away for the evening after a neighbor reported hearing multiple canines barking. 

A man told officers he was back in town visiting when an individual got out of a black truck, swore at him and hit him hard enough to knock his hat off. 

Authorities attempted to catch up with an allegedly drunk man who left a local watering hole at the instruction of a bartender and staggered out to his truck. He was later spotted filling the truck up at a nearby gas station. 

A passerby found a toolbox on the side of the road and brought it to the Police Department for safekeeping until its owner could retrieve it.