Law roundup: Why did the tortoise go to the courthouse?

Finding an apparent pet tortoise outside the Historic County Courthouse, a passerby sought help from the Kalispell Police Department. They said it appeared dehydrated and suspected its owners abandoned it. Authorities identified it as a young African spurred tortoise, a threatened species of tortoise from the West African Sahel that doubles as a pet. One of the largest tortoises in the world, the African spurred tortoise has a lifespan of 70 years or more. Officers tracked down the tortoise's owners and relocated it to an aquarium shop in the meantime.  

A pair of people camped out underneath a willow tree irked a property manager, who told the police that their presence was making it difficult for her to sell apartments. She said the encampment was an ongoing problem and that "she expected something to do be done about this yesterday." She requested an extra patrol in the area after dark. Officers scoped out the area but were unable to locate the people she described.  

Employees at a business asked that officers ban a woman from the property and move her along.  

Someone reported a boat left on a trailer for the past three weeks. The trailer's tires were apparently going flat. Officers contacted the owner, who agreed to remove the watercraft.  

The owner of a food truck took offense at a homeless person sleeping on a bench in front of the mobile eatery. Officers moved the person along.  

Officers stopped after coming across a pair of people under investigation for an alleged series of thefts. While one had an active warrant, the county jail was unwilling to take them that day. Officers instead counseled the two on their alleged behavior.  

Security personnel at a mall alerted the police to a Subaru Impreza left parked near a defunct store for more than a week.  

Sick of seeing a silver Nissan Titan that had been stickered a week prior, a resident contacted the authorities. Officers began calling tow companies after unsuccessfully trying to reach the registered owner, but all refused to haul off the pickup truck. 

A motorist reported getting into a minor collision while waiting in line at a coffee kiosk. The offending driver took a corner too sharp and struck his vehicle, he told the authorities.  

A Parks Department employee contacted the police, accusing a group of homeless people of stealing items needed to run a summer camp. The situation had resolved itself by the time officers arrived.  

Incessant barking prompted a resident to phone the authorities. They said that the noise stemmed from a neighbor who had four large dogs and a litter of puppies. Officers drove through the neighborhood, but reported hearing no barking.  

Planning on hosting a large yard sale, a resident requested the police run extra patrols in the area overnight. The expected inventory was too large to secure overnight, they said.  

Dropping her 2020 BMW X5 off for an oil change, a motorist phoned the police when it failed to start up afterward. She told officers that the employees were proving unhelpful. Officers let her know that the issue was a matter for civil court.  

Receiving a call from a person purporting to be a detective with the Kalispell Police Department, a woman grew suspicious with the supposed investigator's thick accent, but not before giving him her Social Security number. A real officer recommended she contact the Social Security office for help and told her to reroute anyone else claiming to be with law enforcement to the Kalispell Police Department for verification.  

A passerby reported a woman shooting up drugs near a bus stop. Officers deemed the call unfounded.