Teen leads officers on 40-minute chase

Idaho State Police used spike strips to stop a 15-year-old female driver who led officers on a 40-minute chase into Washington and back Sunday.

Officers said the chase started before noon near Worley when Coeur d’Alene tribal police tried to stop a Ford Explorer for a traffic violation. The Explorer sped north, then crossed into Washington, where Spokane County Sheriff’s deputies joined the chase.

The Explorer headed east back into Idaho near Fighting Creek and U.S. Highway 95 at speeds near 90 mph. ISP troopers deployed the spike strips near U.S. 95 and Mica Creek, the ISP said.

Once the Explorer hit the strip, a rear tire deflated, causing the driver to lose control and stop. An ISP patrol car came around the curve in the fog, and struck the Explorer while attempting to block it, damaging the right front corner of the patrol car. No one was injured in the crash, the ISP said.

Idaho officers cited the teen driver and three passengers for several offenses, including not having a driver’s license, driving under the influence, obstructing an officer and possessing alcohol and drug paraphernalia. No names were released Sunday evening.

– Tom Sowa

Denver

Amnesia victim identified in Denver

An amnesia victim who had been searching for his identity for more than a month was identified Sunday as a 40-year-old man from Olympia.

Denver police confirmed Jeff Ingram’s identity after his fiancee recognized him from news reports.

Ingram left his home Sept. 6 to visit his mother in Slave Lake, Alberta, Canada, but never made a scheduled stop that evening at his fiancee’s mother’s house in Bellingham.

Ingram has said he found himself in Denver on Sept. 10 and walked around for six hours asking people for help.

– Associated Press

Great Falls

Four bird box vandals sentenced

Four teenagers were sentenced last week for taking a crowbar to bluebird houses last July along a trail in the Highwood Mountains.

Justice of the Peace Kathleen Jensen sentenced each of the youths to 100 hours of community service and ordered each to pay $35 per nesting box.

Bob Niebuhr, president of the Mountain Bluebird Trails Inc., said three of the teenagers had already come to apologize to him. They have built 50 nesting boxes and plan to help him replace the vandalized ones.

Niebuhr said bluebird lovers nationwide were disturbed when news spread about the smashed houses, which led to the deaths of as many as 60 bluebirds.

– Associated Press