Hayden man gets 8-year sentence

Hayden businessman Christopher Close was sentenced to eight years in prison Tuesday for defrauding the federal government and some of his elderly clients.

Close, 36, is the former owner of the Hayden-based medical equipment company, Back ‘N Action. Many of the charges against Close involved his billing Medicare for $6,000 electric wheelchairs, but providing his elderly patients with $2,000 electric scooters. Close’s acts of fraud totaled more than $170,000, with most of the money coming from Medicare.

U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge said Close’s conduct was motivated by greed and that the long sentence was necessary to “do justice to the victims” who were “devastated, hurt and taken advantage of” by Close.

Close will begin serving his sentence March 30 and must pay a $50,000 fine and restitution of $216,000. He also will serve three years of supervised release following his prison term.

Close was convicted in July of 30 counts of health-care fraud, nine counts of money laundering and two counts of obstructing justice. The jury reconvened in December for an unusual sentencing trial in which it found Close had engaged in a sophisticated scheme to defraud, which involved a large number of victims who were vulnerable because of age or disability.

Property owners consider project

Coeur d’Alene Property owners along Sherman Avenue are mulling the idea of extending a self-imposed tax to spruce up downtown Coeur d’Alene.

Old-fashioned street lights, park benches, street trees, new sidewalks and other improvements were part of a $2.2 million beautification project on Sherman in 1989. The city of Coeur d’Alene and a federal grant chipped in funds for the project, but local property owners also footed a large part of the bill through assessments from a local improvement district.

Fifty-six property owners in the heart of downtown finished paying off their share of the improvements last year.

“Our investment has paid off hugely,” Mayor Sandi Bloem, who owns the Dingle building on Sherman, told other property owners at a Coeur d’Alene Downtown Association meeting Wednesday. “Now the question is, do we want to invest a little more?”

Some of the original work needs maintenance, said Carrie Cook, the downtown association manager. Areas of the sidewalks are uneven from tree roots, and the wooden slates in the park benches are wearing out. A new local improvement district could also pay for items like an informational kiosk and artwork.

Property owners also pondered the idea of purchasing the open lot that forms Sherman Square Park. The lot is privately owned by a trust.

Cook asked merchants to fill out a survey, indicating which improvements they would support. The association will gather price estimates for the most popular items.

To form a new local improvement district, property owners representing 60 percent of the district would have to buy in.

Spirit Lake police add hybrid to fleet

The Spirit Lake Police Department is one of the first Idaho law enforcement agencies to add a hybrid car to its fleet.

Police Chief Doug Campster will unveil the new 2005 Honda Civic today at Coeur d’Alene Honda KIA on Seltice Avenue. The vehicle, which pairs a gasoline engine with a lightweight, high-output motor, can go 650 miles on one fill-up.

“The estimated savings in gas consumption alone is significant enough to cover the lease of the new vehicle,” Camster said in a press release. “And because the vehicle is under warranty we are able to avoid costs associated with maintenance. By continuing to seek innovative ways to reduce costs without cutting back our service, we are able to benefit both the department and the community.”

Protection for dogs from wolves sought

Boise Idahoans should be able to shoot wolves that threaten their dogs, just as they can kill those that threaten their livestock, the Idaho Senate declared Wednesday.

On a unanimous voice vote, the Senate adopted SJM 102, a nonbinding memorial to Congress calling for pet dogs and hunting dogs be treated like livestock under rules regarding management of problem wolves. The measure also calls for compensation programs that now pay owners when livestock is killed by wolves to be expanded to include dogs as well.

“As you know, some years ago the feds put wolves in the state of Idaho,” Senate Resources Chairman Gary Schroeder, R-Moscow, told the Senate. “We now have 27 packs. … Wolves are causing problems. They will kill things like coyotes and dogs.”

Schroeder said under current federal rules, people whose working dogs, such as those helping herd livestock, are threatened by wolves are allowed to kill the wolves. But that doesn’t apply to hunting dogs or pet dogs.

“We want to allow you to protect your dogs should wolves attack them,” Schroeder told the Senate.

Schroeder joins nine other lawmakers in sponsoring the resolution, including Reps. George Eskridge, R-Dover, and Dick Harwood, R-St. Maries. The measure now moves to the House.