Missing Sandpoint man found dead in submerged SUV

SANDPOINT, Idaho (AP) — A 44-year-old Sandpoint area man who was reported missing over the weekend has been found dead in an SUV that went off the road and into a pond. Bonner County sheriff’s Lt. Ror Lakewold tells the Bonner County Daily Bee that Dennis Kent Hooper died as a result of the accident. His body was found Monday. Hooper was last seen Friday in the Samuels area and volunteers traced the roads commonly used by Hooper to travel to his house north of Sandpoint. One of the searchers found some suspicious tire tracks near a pond and called the sheriff’s office. The SUV was submerged in 10 feet of water. His body was found in the vehicle. The crash is being investigated by the Idaho State Police.