Bigfork
CRIME NEWS
Bird found guilty of drugs, officer assault
Judge John A. Mercer set a sentencing date of Nov. 21 for Nathaniel Bird, 39, an Idaho man convicted of assault on a peace officer and criminal possession of dangerous drugs. Bird was convicted by jury at the conclusion of a trial in District Court at Polson, which began Monday Oct. 7.According to court records, Polson Police responded to a report on April 28 of a prowler attempting to steal the caller’s pickup with a screwdriver. The reporting party said he and his family confronted the man, and the man pointed a “finger gun” at all of them and told...
House fire subdued, but structure uninhabitable
The City of Polson Fire Department was dispatched shortly after noon Oct. 8 to a possible structure fire on the 700 block of Fifth Ave. E. According to a press release, units found heavy smoke billowing from the eves and window areas. Initial reports of trapped occupants were unfounded, and the resident was uninjured. Fire suppression, search and overhaul operations continued until 3:30 p.m.The structure is uninhabitable, and Red Cross assistance has been offered to the resident.Currently the cause of the fire is under investigation.A total of 36 personnel and 12 apparatus responded to the incident, including additional units from the Polson Rural Fire District and Ronan Fire Department.The City of Polson Fire Department expressed appreciation to the Polson Rural Fire District, Ronan Fire Department, Finley Point Fire Department, Polson Emergency Services, Lake County Office of Emergency Management, Polson Police Department, Lake County Dispatch, and Mission Valley Power for their assistance with the incident.
Columbia Falls woman stole thousands from Falkor, a Kalispell gun manufacturer
A Columbia Falls woman recently admitted to embezzling approximately $159,000 from her employer, a Kalispell firearms manufacturing company. Teri Anne Bell, 58, was sentenced last week to five months in federal prison followed by six months of home confinement and three years of supervised release, fined $20,000 and ordered to pay $174,572 restitution, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said in a release.In June, Bell pleaded guilty in June to wire fraud.The court also ordered Bell to perform 175 hours of community service.In court documents, the government alleged that from May 2018 until about December 2021, Bell, while working as a bookkeeper...
Veteran Washington officer new Columbia Falls police chief
By CHRIS PETERSONHungry Horse NewsA veteran law enforcement officer from Yakima, Washington is the new Columbia Falls Police Chief. Chad Stephens was recently appointed to the post by the Columbia Falls City Council.Stephens was formerly a lieutenant with the City of Yakima Police Department. He started his career there some 30 years ago, as a reserve officer at age 21, he said in an interview last week. He began working as a correction officer for Yakima County and then in 1995 joined the city’s police force as an officer, working his way up through the ranks in the department, holding...
Columbia Falls firefighters respond to shed fire
Columbia Falls firefighters responded to a shed/chicken coop fire on the North Fork Road Monday morning. The shed/coop looked to be a total loss. Columbia Falls Fire Chief Karl Weeks said the fire was likely caused by a heat lamp for chickens that was too close to cedar wood shavings. The chickens, however, were saved from the blaze by a neighbor. Smoke from the blaze was visible from town, as it was a fairly large shed/coop. Initial attack knocked the fire down and a tender truck was responded to put it out completely. Evergreen Fire Department responded with mutual aid.
Mother of missing paddleboarder reflects on search and rescue efforts
Nina Rea has been on a never-ending mission to find her daughter, Emily Rea, since she went missing in the Hungry Horse Reservoir this summer.“She's got that perfectionistic bent. She's optimistic, but also realistic,” Nina said of her daughter, speaking over Zoom from her Georgia home on Oct. 3. “She's very sensitive and is tuned into what someone else may need. In a friendship, she's an excellent listener. She's cautious, but my glory, she is independent.” Emily, 33, was alone when she put her paddleboard into the reservoir sometime after 8:30 p.m. on July 16, according to the Flathead County Sheriff’s...
Search Continues for Hungry Horse Paddleboarder
A family's long cruel summer has now lasted three months. Emily Rea from West Glacier disappeared on the evening of July 16th after paddleboarding alone on Hungry Horse Reservoir. Her car had been found in Riverside Boat Launch site the next day and the board itself had been found in the Flossy Creek area of the reservoir, two miles downwind west of the boat launch. The watercraft was discovered upside down with the paddle assembled and stowed on the board.