Law roundup: Owner abandons sick dog at veterinarian’s office

After a woman allegedly abandoned her sick pit bull mix at a veterinary clinic, employees contacted the Kalispell Police Department looking for help in tracking her down. The 5-month-old dog, who went by “Tux” possibly owing to its black and white fur, received an exam and tested positive for parvovirus with the total bill coming to about $201. Calls to Tux’s owner had gone unanswered and the line lacked a voicemail box. The employees probably should have been on guard after the owner allegedly asked “What happens if someone doesn't pay for their animal’s treatment here” on the way out of the clinic. Officers also tried to contact the owner, but to no avail and Tux was taken to the county animal shelter. 

Authorities met up with an apparently homeless teenager living out of a vehicle near enough to one of the high schools that students were joining him during lunch. Although he initially tried to pass himself off as a student, the officer questioning him said that as the school resource officer he could check his name. Reportedly coming clean, the teen said he planned to transfer to the high school next year having last been in a classroom in eastern Montana. The officer provided him with information about local homeless shelters and told him he would need to remove his vehicle from the street as it was no longer operable. 

Someone hoping to clean up a homeless camp near the Parkline Trail called the police looking for directions. 

A passerby alerted authorities to a suspicious individual reportedly following a disabled person on the west side of town. 

An anonymous caller left a message for a woman warning her about her behavior on social media. The message said “You better watch out who you mess with on Facebook. I know where your trailer is.” The subject of the voicemail was confused as to what the caller was referring to and told police she did not live in a trailer. Also, the voicemail had been left on her daughter’s phone, she said. 

Officers spoke with a pet owner after receiving complaints that her dogs, though tied up in the yard, were able to reach the sidewalk and harass pedestrians. Neighbors also accused her of letting the dogs roam throughout the area. The dog owner acknowledged that her dogs were jumpers and occasionally jumped the fence. 

Was it a ghost? A passerby heard disembodied voices emanating from the train on the Parkline Trail. They also thought they could smell the pungent odor of marijuana. Officers found the train secure and devoid of life. 

Officers spoke with a suspected vigilante after workers at the city wastewater treatment plant received an ominous voicemail. The message allegedly warned that unless the city did “not take care of the homeless population, they will form a posse and take care of it themselves.” When contacted, the person behind the voicemail denied threatening violence and said it was a misunderstanding, that they were planning on forming a group to pick up the trash and make the public aware of the homeless population. Officers suggested she attend City Council meetings to make her voice heard.