There’s new hope for victims of domestic violence in Idaho. Attorney General Lawrence Wasden and the Idaho Sheriff’s Association have begun issuing wallet-size “Hope Cards” to people who have obtained long-term civil protection orders against spouses, former spouses, stalkers or anyone else. On the front are the names of those being protected, the court that issued the order, the order number and the date it was issued. On the back is the name of the person ordered to stay away from the holder, a date of birth, physical description and, most importantly, a picture. Court-issued paperwork is far less convenient and far less useful because it lacks a photograph/Spokesman-Review Editorial Board. More here. (Photo: front of Hope Card, issued by state of Montana)

Question: Do you know someone who could use a “Hope Card” for protection?

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?

Michael Lohan, father of actress Lindsay Lohan, appears in court via teleconference Wednesday in Tampa, Fla. Lohan has been released from the Hillsborough County jail hours after making his first appearance in court on domestic violence charges. Police accused the 51-year-old Lohan of battering his girlfriend at her Tampa condo. You write the cutline. (AP Photo/St. Petersburg Times, Skip O'Rourke)

Top Cutlines:

• 1. Michael stands before the judge for his “solo mate” ceremony, and once he is done, he’ll return to his seat - there behind him in the second row. He might be able to find a mate very soon — JeanieSpokane.
• 2. I just want to be closer to my daughter — CoeurGenX.
• 3. Michael Lohan: “Id rather do my time working at the morgue, like Lindsay. Because, the people that wind up in those places don’t talk back to you and they won’t talk behind your back either” — Kage Mann.
• HM: JohnA

A 41-year-old Coeur d'Alene man with and extensive criminal record has been sentenced to a fixed prison term of 33 months for attempted strangulation and felony domestic violence against a former girlfriend. David B. Moen wasn't given credit for the 257 days he's already served awaiting sentencing in the brutal attack against his former girlfriend last Sept. 12. Moen choked the woman, banged her head against a wall, and punched and kicked her in the head. Judge Fred Gibler handled the sentencing. You can read the rest of the news release from Prosecutor Barry McHugh's office here.

A no-contact order filed two months after Becky and Uriah Brosnan were married in 1997 showed early signs of domestic abuse. After that, there were no police reports or repeated emergency calls to the couple’s home indicating trouble – until Becky Uriah was beaten to death and her husband charged with murder. That pattern isn’t unusual, authorities say. “In most cases where there were domestic violence homicides, there had been almost no contact with police,” Spokane police Detective Jan Pogachar said. Instead, victims often go to shelters or seek help from family members. Becky Brosnan, 32, died Jan. 28 after she met with her estranged husband at his workplace parking lot to discuss child custody arrangements/Jody Lawrence-Turner. More here.

Question: Are restraining orders worth anything more than the paper that they’re written on? In other words, do they provide any real protection against an abusive former partner?