Law roundup: No sanctuary for ‘transients’

Finding three strangers in the door area of the main sanctuary of their church, a pastor asked officers with the Kalispell Police Department to give them the bum’s rush. Authorities informed the trio, who were identified as possible “transients” and outfitted with bicycles, that they were no longer welcome on church grounds. 

After another church bought a nearby home, neighbors noticed vehicles popping up on the adjacent street, sometimes as many as 10 or 12. The parked cars posed a hazard to motorists trying to get on the highway, they told officers, and requested authorities contact the church. Officers noted that the church was housing people in the home and that the associated vehicles were parked legally on the street, but agreed to pass the complaint along. 

Someone turned in a purse they found near a business. Officers described it as dirty and containing nothing of value. As it lacked anything identifying ownership, they tossed it. 

When her prescription Oxycodone went missing, a woman suspected the work of thieves. She told officers that she thought she might have left the pills in her vehicle.

Spotting a group of adults hanging out in a park pavilion, a passerby suspected they were up to no good and called the police. They described the group as drinking alcohol and doing drugs, likely using a pipe of some sort. Officers learned that the group was not drinking alcohol and the smoke was from cigarettes. At least one, though, had been banned from the park for 24 hours. He agreed to depart. 

When a man who bought a truck began missing payments, the seller contacted the police. Officers informed them it was a civil matter.

A resident requested extra patrols in the area around Ninth Street East and Woodland Drive to crack down on speeding and tailgating. The aggressive driving seemed to kick into high gear after 6 p.m.

Spotting a man with papers and a hatchet leaning against a wall, a passerby phoned the police. The man was gone by the time officers arrived and employees reported that someone had picked him up. 

Spider-Man swung into Kalispell and apparently went bad. Surveillance cameras caught Spidey allegedly breaking into a property on a weekend night and turning on a hose. An employee discovered the running water the next day. There is a chance that some unknown villain had disguised themselves as the hero to pull off the devious trick as surveillance footage showed him wearing a pair of Crocs. 

Sick and tired of being pulled over and accused of stealing his own vehicle, a motorist went to the Police Department to sort everything out. Investigators determined that someone with the same license plate, just in Iowa, had reported their vehicle as stolen. Officers were reminded to check the state of origin when running license plates in the future. 

A neighbor phoned the police after someone left a blue boat on a trailer parked on the street for more than a week. Officers spoke with the boat’s owners.