Law roundup: Panhandler dishes out tongue-lashings

The Whitefish Police Department received a report about a panhandler sitting on a bench in front of a Central Avenue saloon and “cussing patrons out” who didn’t give him a buck.

An ambulance responded to a report of a possibly intoxicated man who reportedly fell off his bicycle, landing in the middle of the road on Spokane Avenue and East Sixth Street. Officers received conflicting reports about whether he just fell or was struck by a vehicle or just fell.

A worried resident called the police about a vehicle that allegedly had been turning around at the end of the road four days in a row between 4 and 4:30 a.m.

A man, who appeared to be drunk, was reportedly driving a black Subaru in a Wisconsin Avenue parking lot and hit the side of a woman’s car. He allegedly told her not to call the police, tossed money on the ground and took off, headed toward Big Mountain. 

A gang of 10 boys hanging out at the top of the parking garage reportedly harassed a girl and her friend, walking in the area, by swearing at them and calling them names. The group scattered in an alley when she called the police. An officer was unable to locate the hoodlums and reportedly told her to stay away from her alleged harassers and call if she encountered them again.

A man on Edgewood Place allegedly gave his phone and a key to his apartment to a woman whom he wanted back. He called the police when he didn’t get either, saying he was going to lose his cool and pound on the neighbor’s door if an officer didn’t respond quickly. He was told not to do that and to wait for an officer. 

An officer advised him that since he gave her the phone to use, it would be a civil matter, or he could speak to the phone carrier to cancel the line. He was told to speak to the landlord about the key issue and request that the locks be changed. Officers were unable to make contact with the woman.

Someone on Lupfer Avenue reportedly tried to push open a woman’s bedroom window in the middle of the night. Extra patrols were requested.

Kalispell Police officers received an online complaint from a property manager that a private parking lot was starting to look like a homeless encampment and the people didn’t have permission to be there. Officers spoke with people in the parking lot who were working on vehicles and said they would clean up and try to leave as soon as possible. 

A woman complained about having difficulty getting her mail because a vehicle kept parking in front of the mailbox.