Daniel Joe Zehm, 52, of Dalton Gardens, was reportedly pepper-sprayed his former wife, Sondra, and had driven around with her for two hours before killing himself on Sherman Avenue after a police chase Sunday night. According to Kootenai County sheriff's reports, Zehm had driven with his wife as far as Harrison and back before relatives told police he was in the Fernan area. Patrol officers spotted the Zehms on Fernan Lake Road near the Fernan Gun Range and began pursuit. Zehm reportedly was trying to talk his wife into dropping charges on a Nov. 20 incident in which he doused her with gasoline and threatened to set her on fire. He had a gun with him and had forced his wife into his vehicle after pepper-spraying her. Officers chased the Zehms to Fernan Saddle and to town. Zehm's car reached speeds of 90 mph on the icy road. Mrs. Zehm was able to jump out of the vehicle when her husband slowed on ice to make a turn. Zehm stopped his vehicle and killed himself in the Sherman Avenue intersection with the I-90 eastbound onramp after a spike strip set up by Idaho State Police shredded his tires. You can read the complete KCSD news release here.

Thoughts?

An unemployed Dalton Gardens man was arrested and charged with attempted murder Sunday, after he allegedly doused his wife of two years with gasoline and tried to ignite her with a lighter she had given him. Daniel Joe Zehm, 52, of 6103 15th St., was taken into custody by sheriff's deputies following an altercation that began Saturday night and culminated with the alleged try to incinerate Sondra  Zehm, 58. According to sheriff's reports, the argument began when Daniel Zehm told his wife how attractive a CNA at his mother's assisted living place is. At one point during the domestic fight, Daniel Zehm penned his wife down on their bed and allegedly threatened to kill her, her dog, and her whole family. Zehm allegedly drenched his wife with a bucket of gasoline while she had her back to him, making coffee the following morning. Sondra told deputies that her husband was flicking the red lighter she'd given him to light a fire in his shop as he moved toward her.