New false rape report received
For the second time in a week, Coeur d’Alene Police have investigated a false rape report.
On Sunday, a 23-year-old Coeur d’Alene woman reported to police that a man she met at a bar and invited home had raped her after she changed her mind about having sex with him. In a follow-up interview, she said she made up the report because she was “really hurt and mad at him and wanted to try to get him into some really big trouble,” according to a Coeur d’Alene Police press release.
The woman, Rebecca Bendocchi, has been cited for filing a false report and charged also with making harassing phone calls. Bendocchi allegedly made repeated calls to the man she named as a suspect in her rape report.
Last week, a woman reported that she had been raped at Tubbs Hill in late March. In a subsequent interview, she admitted that she had made the story up, police said.
Mercury triggers warning on lake trout
Sandpoint Mercury found in lake trout in Lake Pend Oreille is about the same concentration as mercury found in canned white or albacore tuna, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare warned in a news release Tuesday.
The Idaho Fish Consumption Advisory Program, which checks on water contamination and health risks, recently assessed the lake and found mercury concentrations in trout as well as whitefish. The findings led to warnings that people should limit their consumption of the lake fish.
The guidelines recommend pregnant and breastfeeding women limit their consumption of Lake Pend Oreille trout to no more than two 8-ounce servings per month and whitefish consumption to no more than four 8-ounce servings per month.
Children younger than 7 should eat nor more than one 4-ounce serving per month of lake trout and no more than two 4-ounce servings per month of lake whitefish. Everyone else should limit themselves to three 8-ounce servings per month of trout and four 8-ounce servings of Lake Pend Oreille whitefish.
Smaller concentrations of mercury were found in lake whitefish than in trout, but the amount was similar to concentrations found in canned light tuna.
Consumption of enough mercury can cause central nervous system problems. Cooking doesn’t remove mercury.
For more information, call (866) 240-3553 or check out www.healthandwelfare.idaho.gov.
Franz, contractor in lawsuit battle
Television actor Dennis Franz, who bought and is renovating the former Camp NeeWahLu on Kidd Island Bay, is being sued by a former building contractor.
On Tuesday, 1st District Judge James Mitchell set a trial date for Jan. 30 in the case of Hudson West Construction Inc. vs. Dennis Franz Productions.
The Coeur d’Alene construction company is suing Franz for wrongful termination and breach of contract and claims it is owed $107,546. The company also is suing for $700,000 in damages because of lost opportunities and profits.
Franz has countersued. According to the counterclaim, Franz terminated the agreement with the contractor on Aug. 29, 2004, because of various alleged problems, including failure to get proper permits from Kootenai County and the Environmental Protection Agency, failure to prevent erosion and problems with workmanship.
Franz is claiming he’s owed $296,875 in damages.
Franz, who is best known for his portrayal of Detective Andy Sipowicz on “NYPD Blue,” has a conditional use permit from the county to renovate the former Campfire Girls camp into a private resort for families, friends and limited guests.
Car burglaries hit Riverside Harbor
Post Falls Police are investigating a rash of car burglaries in the Shoreline Court part of the Riverside Harbor subdivision that occurred early Monday morning.
At least six vehicles, all of which were unlocked, were broken into during the early-morning hours along the street, according to police.
The burglars stole a variety of items, including a black briefcase, a set of golf clubs, personal checks and prescription drugs. Police ask that anyone who has any information regarding suspicious activity in that neighborhood Monday morning to call the police department at 773-3517.
Golf event to help charter school project
The Sandpoint Charter School is celebrating National Charter Schools Week on Saturday with a golf tournament at Mirror Lake Golf Course.
The four-person scramble will raise money for the school to develop an athletic field it already owns. Entry fees are $150 per team. The school is also looking for sponsors, at $40 apiece, so children can play in the tournament. Dinner will be available for $10, reservations required.
For information, contact Julie Williams at (208) 255-7771 or (208) 267-1266.
No major injuries in 7-vehicle collision
Based on the significant damage to seven cars involved in collisions in east Spokane Tuesday afternoon, police said passengers were lucky to have avoided serious injuries.
A series of crashes occurred about 4:15 p.m. on a Freya Way bridge over railroad tracks, just south of Mission Avenue.
Three people suffered minor injuries and none was admitted to a hospital, said police spokesman Dick Cottam.
The collisions began when a northbound Faucets ‘N Stuff Plumbing truck collided with another northbound commercial truck, which was forced over a concrete divider and into the southbound lanes before coming to rest on a sidewalk, Cottam said.
The plumbing truck continued north and struck more vehicles, Cottam said. Of the seven that were part of the incident, only one could be driven from the scene.
The driver of the plumbing truck appears to have suffered from a problem related to diabetes, which caused him to lose control, Cottam said. He won’t likely receive a citation.
Northbound lanes of the bridge were closed for about two hours while the crash was cleared and investigated.