Law roundup: Maybe leave the policing to the police

Taking a vigilante approach to allegedly speeding motorists in his neighborhood, a Columbia Falls resident learned that policing traffic safety laws might be better left to, well, the police. Officers with the Columbia Falls Police Department initially thought they were responding to a man intentionally struck by the driver of a utility truck on Martha Road, but later learned it was an argument sparked when the man told the person behind the wheel to slow down. Officers recommended he phone authorities in the future rather than confront motorists by his lonesome. 

Officers headed to Third Avenue for a report of a small black car driving around the neighborhood. The person who alerted the police said it appeared as though the vehicle’s occupants were photographing a nearby RV park. Unable to find the car, officers agreed to mount extra patrols during the night.

A woman accused a man of grabbing her wrist, seizing her phone and throwing the device. 

A man’s ex-roommate, who was previously evicted by the landlord, returned to the property. When asked what he was doing back, the ex-roommate allegedly threatened to kick the man’s butt. 

Officers reminded a woman about her misdemeanor charge during a traffic stop. 

First responders were asked to keep their sirens silenced as they headed out to treat a rider thrown from a horse so as to avoid spooking any of the animals. 

Officers reminded a man wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and black pants to stay off the railroad tracks after someone reported him for trespassing. 

A woman previously arrested headed to the Police Department to see if they could retrieve their belongings. Officers returned her property. 

Hearing loud music and people yelling at a nearby bowling alley, a resident turned to the police for help. The volume was eventually lowered. 

A parent concerned about the whereabouts of his children asked for a welfare check. 

Officers assisted Montana Highway Patrol troopers on Hilltop Road. 

Accusing his brother of hanging on to a box of his silver, a man asked the police to intervene. They explained it was a civil matter and the man agreed to contact his attorney. 

Concerned about a parent who was upset over the disciplining of their son, someone asked for extra police patrols. The irate parent was reportedly angry and aggressive both over the phone and in person. 

Officers stopped a red Chevrolet pickup truck after spotting it missing a license plate. 

Employees at a Ninth Avenue business asked that the police ban a woman from the store after she allegedly was caught stealing.