In brief: Police search for man who briefly grabbed toddler from stroller

Lincoln County authorities are looking for a man who witnesses say took a toddler from a stroller in Sprague on Sunday afternoon.

Video cameras captured the man running with the 22-month-old child in his arms near the city park in Sprague, according to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office. The man first approached the child and two older siblings around noon, spoke briefly to them and said he was 19 years old, and then grabbed the toddler and ran, according to a news release.

The siblings ran after the man and screamed, alerting a couple of teenagers nearby who gave chase, the Sheriff’s Office said. The man put down the child, who was unharmed, and fled on foot, according to the news release.

The Sheriff’s Office described the man as in his 30s and white, with a mustache and a possibly puffy left cheek. He was about 6 feet 2 inches tall and wearing a brown jacket and blue jeans. He was not seen entering or exiting a vehicle, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Anyone with information about the man is asked to call 911 or Lincoln County Sheriff Wade Magers at (509) 725-3501.

Skier at Lookout Pass dies after tree crash

A 61-year-old woman died while skiing at Lookout Pass on Sunday.

The Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office, along with family and friends of the woman, began searching for her at the ski area late Sunday night after she did not return from her ski trip.

Sheriff Mitch Alexander found the woman a short distance into the timber off a run called Rainbow Ridge on the ski area’s south side. She had apparently hit a tree, a news release from the sheriff’s office said.

The woman was an accomplished skier and was wearing a helmet, but she likely lost control and did not leave the run intentionally, the release said.

The woman’s name is being withheld until family is notified.

Government wolf hunt kills 19 to protect elk

Nineteen wolves were killed in Idaho’s Lolo region last month in an ongoing effort to improve elk survival in the rugged area on the Idaho-Montana border.

Federal Wildlife Service agents shot the wolves from an aircraft.

State officials say that both habitat changes and predation are responsible for the Lolo’s declining elk herds.

The Lolo elk population has dropped from 16,000 elk in 1989 to roughly 2,100 elk in 2010, and possibly fewer than 1,000 this year. In addition to the 19 wolves killed by government agents, another 11 wolves were taken by hunters and trappers in the Lolo zone during the 2014-15 season.

Helicopter crews also captured and placed radio collars on both elk and wolves this winter to monitor whether the Lolo’s elk herds are increasing in response to government control actions.