Police in search of bank robber
Police are searching for a man who robbed a Bank of America branch in Hayden Thursday morning.
The FBI’s Coeur d’Alene office is investigating the crime. The Kootenai County Sheriff’s Department was unable to locate the suspect during a morning search.
Described as white and in his mid-20s, the man entered the bank about 9:10 a.m. and handed a teller a note demanding money be placed in a bag, Sheriff’s Capt. Ben Wolfinger said.
The robber reportedly lifted his shirt to show what appeared to be a handgun in the waistband of his pants, Wolfinger said.
Don Robinson, Coeur d’Alene’s supervising FBI agent, said the suspect made off with some money.
FBI policy prohibits disclosing how much money was stolen.
According to a press release, the man’s note said he “had a gun and wanted all of the 100s 50s 20s and 10s.”
The suspect had dark hair and a sandy brown mustache and wore a dark hat that appeared to have a camouflage pattern on it.
He also wore a black coat, blue T-shirt, jeans and dark sunglasses.
The robber apparently ran away east on Hayden Avenue toward Government Way and was chased for a short distance by a bank customer.
FBI officials ask that anyone with questions or information contact Special Agent Kevin Dunton at (208) 664-5128.
– Sam Taylor
Post Falls
Garbage transfer station to be built
Kootenai County is getting a new garbage transfer station west of Post Falls.
The Kootenai County Commission unanimously approved a zone change Thursday on 68 acres off Pleasant View Road.
Solid Waste Director Roger Saterfiel said he will ask for engineering bids on the $12 million facility that will become the county’s second transfer station.
The other garbage drop-off is on Ramsey Road.
The facility is expected to open in fall 2007.
The location is ideal because it’s in an industrial area and has 3,700 feet of rail line access, Saterfiel said. It’s also in one of the fastest-growing areas in the county.
The county’s soaring population brings with it an increase of trash.
If a second transfer station isn’t built, Saterfiel is fearful the Ramsey station would fail or that the county would have to restrict when people could dump trash and recyclables.
Only a few neighbors opposed the project. That’s a radical difference from five years ago, when hundreds of people protested the county’s proposal to build a transfer station near Garwood. After months of debate, the county commission scrapped the plan.
– Erica Curless