Man In Trash Bin Arrested Before He Faced Drug And Weapons Charges Last Fall

A man who apparently killed himself in a trash bin Friday after a police chase, had been arrested twice for carrying drugs and assault weapons.

Scotty Michael Garden, 23, of Coeur d’Alene, was found in a trash bin in an alley near the 1100 block of Pennsylvania Avenue. He apparently shot himself in the head about two hours after evading police in a stolen car.

Idaho State Police Cpl. Doug Orr said Garden was arrested last October for possession of methamphetamine and an automatic assault weapon.

Then, about a month ago, Orr said, Garden was arrested for possession of methamphetamine and a semiautomatic assault weapon.

“Friday would have been his third arrest,” Orr said Saturday.

About 1:15 p.m. Friday, Orr spotted Garden driving a 1985 Chrysler Lancer on Sherman Avenue. Recognizing the driver as someone whose license was suspended, Orr tried to stop him.

But the car sped away. Orr said he lost sight of the car in the 1100 block of Pennsylvania Avenue.

A witness told police she saw the driver of the Lancer throw something out the window. She later turned over syringes and what police believe is a small amount of methamphetamine.

Garden’s body was found in the trash bin about 3:45 p.m. The bin had been surrounded by armed city and state police, who hosed it with pepper mace before investigation.

Orr said Garden apparently left the car idling in a nearby alley and ran into the trash bin to hide.

The car had been stolen from Sunset Motors on Government Way.

Garden’s death has been called an apparent suicide, but remains under investigation by Coeur d’Alene Police.

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