In brief: 71-year-old man killed in crash

A 71-year-old man died Friday night in an alcohol-related crash in Post Falls, the Idaho State Police said.

Richard Howard Young, of Post Falls, was a passenger in the 1990 Chevy pickup that crashed into a power pole at about 11:22 p.m. The driver, Kevin A. Collins, also of Post Falls, was arrested for aggravated DUI, according to police. Other charges are pending.

Collins, 43, was eastbound on Ponderosa Boulevard when he lost control of his pickup. State police said that speed and alcohol were factors in the crash.

Young, who wasn’t wearing a seatbelt, was taken to Kootenai Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

Collins suffered minor injuries. He was wearing a seat belt, police said.

Colfax

Police investigate body found in river

A body was found floating in the Snake River near Colfax on Friday afternoon, and police are investigating the death.

The person’s name and gender were not released, pending notification of relatives.

Local railroad employees found the body in the river several hundred yards east of Red Wolf Bridge at 1:30 p.m. Friday, according to the Whitman County Sheriff’s Office.

Sheriff’s deputies and firefighters with Asotin County Fire District No. 1 responded and retrieved the body.

SANDPOINT

Man stuck in well saved by cell phone

A 65-year-old man who fell headfirst into a well and became stuck was able to work his cell phone free and call for help.

“(Otherwise) I would be pushing up daisies,” Roger Klopfenstein told the Bonner County Daily Bee. “I lost my grip and couldn’t get out. I was stuck big time.”

Klopfenstein, who retired a year ago, said he put a ladder inside the well on Monday so he could walk down it hands first to work on a pump, hooking his feet over the top of the well at its edge.

“It just didn’t work,” he said. “I lost too much strength.”

He fell about six feet and became wedged between the wall of the well and the pump.

Crews arrived within 10 minutes after Klopfenstein called and had him freed within five minutes, officials said. Klopfenstein had some scrapes and bruises but was otherwise not hurt.

MISSOULA

Mayor’s car gets ‘boot’ for tickets

Mayor John Engen’s car got the “boot” this week after he accumulated 15 parking tickets totaling $86.

“I need to pay my parking tickets just like everyone else,” Engen said Friday.

A boot is a device used to immobilize vehicles, generally when they’ve accumulated too many unpaid parking violations.

Anne Guest, director of the Missoula Parking Commission, said the commission warns offenders of the vehicle’s status after five violations. But Engen’s city-issued Toyota Prius has exempt county license plates.

“I believe our notice went to Missoula County, rather than to the mayor. I don’t know what happened after that,” Guest said.

Engen said he gets parking tickets, like anybody else.

From staff and wire reports