Law roundup: Quick-thinking resident snaps photo of stolen car

An amateur gumshoe tracking a suspicious-looking car may have uncovered a gang of thieves. The eagle-eyed resident contacted the Kalispell Police Department after watching the vehicle, a Subaru Outback, pull up to several garbage bins. The driver hopped out, dug around the bins and emerged with a brand new snowblower. The witness reported seeing the car in that area before and believed it to be a drop off site for stolen goods.

Officers examined the photos of the Subaru. While the license plate was obscured, they recognized it from a motor vehicle theft case.

A caller reported seeing a man in a wheelchair, possibly wearing just one shoe, stuck in the roadway.

Police responded to an area tunnel for a report of a fire. It turned out that a woman had started the small blaze to try and keep warm. Ultimately, the Kalispell Fire Department doused the campfire and the woman left on foot after declining any additional help from officers.

Three people hanging out inside an area business got on the nerves of employees, who asked that officers move them along.

Saying they had a good relationship with their neighbor and didn’t want to see it ruined, an area resident asked that officers speak to the nearby family about their barking dogs. The dogs start up about 5 a.m. each morning and continue barking until about 7 a.m. They bark again later in the day. The resident estimated that his neighbors had between eight and 10 dogs now.

Officers counseled the caller to start a “bark log,” but swung by the neighbor’s house as well. There they spotted at least one pit bull and heard several puppies in the backyard. The dog owner appeared understanding when counseled on the city’s canine ordinances and told officers that his neighbor had threatened him, his children and their dogs when outside.

Officers tried to track down a man who reportedly was sitting on the sidewalk, shaking his head and moaning. The individual who phoned in the report said the man looked to be in “pretty bad shape.” Officers were unable to find the man and a passerby reported seeing nothing matching that description.

Authorities were called upon to move along a man lounging in the lobby of an area building and playing music.

A caller reported seeing a German shepherd running around a west side neighborhood. The dog appeared to have a broken leg. Responding officers found two shepherds that refused to leave a truck that contained a dog kennel and food. The owner later emerged from a nearby house and claimed the animals. Officers counseled him on the city’s dog ordinance.

Authorities booked a Ruger as evidence after determining it was stolen while running a firearms check. The weapon appeared to have gone missing in Sullivan County, New York in 1999.