Law roundup: Neighbor cooks up a wild tale of possible meth lab

A neighbor with a nose for trouble phoned the Kalispell Police Department to inform them of their suspicions that the people in the yellow house down the street were cooking methamphetamine. While they could not smell anything specific, they did see the neighbors smoking from a bong and stirring a big pot. And there was a camper on the property with someone living in it, they said. Officers investigating the complaint discovered that the suspicious neighbors were marking St. Patrick’s Day by cooking corned beef.

Dogs belonging to a pair of homeless people allegedly attacked another resident’s canines near the Parkline Trail. Officers passed the case off to animal control. 

Authorities headed to a local law office for a report of a woman pacing back and forth on the front steps and yelling. Arriving officers found her on the building’s balcony. She left soon after. 

A business owner confronted several people who had parked their Ford Explorer in the company’s parking lot overnight and spread their belongings all over the ground. The people denied the items belonged to them and said they needed gas money to leave. Officers banned them from the property. 

Authorities spoke with a group of people hanging out at the gazebo in Depot Park, updating them on city ordinances regarding the use of public parks and the municipal leash law. 

A downtown security guard called the police after finding a GMC Envoy blocking a lane to an ATM. Officers reached the vehicle’s owner before the arrival of a tow truck and she agreed to collect the Envoy. 

Someone spotted a motorist in a red Dodge truck back into another vehicle twice before taking off. They told the police that the driver got out, inspected the other vehicle and then backed into it again. The collisions had left a dent on the rear bumper, they said.

Officers escorted a youth caught driving around town on a dirt bike without plates back home. Then they spoke with his father. 

Authorities spent two days trying to trap an escaped dog reportedly annoying the entire neighborhood.

A supervisor headed to the Police Department after finding an AirTag attached via a magnet to his vehicle. He suspected an employee placed it and told officers he planned on contacting human resources next. 

The manager of a fast food restaurant contacted authorities after receiving multiple threatening calls. Although the voices on the other end of the line threatened her with violence, she said she suspected it was a bunch of juvenile pranksters. Officers traced the phone number back to Libby, but calls went unanswered and there was no voicemail associated with it. The manager decided to just start hanging up on them until they got bored. 

Someone grew concerned with several people apparently at the head of a local parade. They described the group as dressed in camouflage and carrying guns. Their presence left the caller uncomfortable.