Law roundup: Praying man makes passerby suspicious

Overhearing a person they assumed was homeless praying for a missing girl from Pablo, a passerby surreptitiously recorded him and alerted the Kalispell Police Department. They said they overheard the man talking about the missing person in a big box store. The allegedly homeless man mentioned that a Satanic cult was involved in the missing girl’s disappearance. The caller said they were concerned he was on drugs. 

Officers intervened when a group of would-be squatters allegedly started constructing a camp behind a grocery store. They were allegedly arguing and possibly dealing drugs, according to the store manager. The trio picked up and left after officers arrived. 

Frustrated with the struggle to back out of her driveway, a resident told authorities that a truck and trailer were blocking her egress and ingress. Officers determined the truck and its trailer were legally parked and not blocking the woman’s driveway, but they counseled the vehicle’s owner nonetheless. 

Three dogs apparently were running wild on a lacrosse field. None appeared aggressive. 

Spotting a man in an RV camping out in the parking lot, a building owner asked officers to move him along. The owner said the man was hooked into the building’s electricity. The man left at the request of the police.

Hospital personnel phoned the police after a discharged patient refused to leave without a ride. Though initially in the Emergency Room triage area, she left on foot after the authorities were summoned. Officers caught up with her and tried to connect her with local resources, but one nonprofit said her needs were above their level of care while hospital staff told them her case did not rise to the level of a hold. At that, officers allowed her to continue walking while warning her against entering any buildings. 

Suspecting the woman who struck her white Subaru Forester was drunk after they exchanged information, a motorist alerted the police. Officers found the woman’s vehicle unoccupied and tracked her down to a 10th Avenue West park. They counseled her on her actions and gave her a ride home after she allegedly admitted to being drunk. 

Worried about her child’s safety while in the care of her ex-husband, a woman asked officers to keep an eye out for him. She said he recently earned a DUI charge and she suspected he was “running around without a license.” She asked that the department alert her if he was arrested so she could pick up the child. 

Scammers pretending to work for a major bank convinced a resident to give them access to their accounts. The victim said they were unaware it was a scam until they spotted large transactions occurring on their account. Officers guided the victim through how to report the crime to the FBI and offered to give them a packet on identity theft.