Humane Society offering reward
A cash reward is being offered for information that leads to an arrest or conviction of those responsible for abandoning a badly abused pit bull along Highway 57 near Priest River.
The $2,500 reward was announced Wednesday by the Humane Society of the United States.
The nonprofit group put up the reward following the rescue Feb. 18 of a severely injured pit bull, believed to be used as a “bait dog” in a dog-fighting operation. A veterinary technician from Elk, Wash., has adopted the pit bull.
Anyone with information in the case is asked to contact the Bonner County Sheriff’s Department at (208) 265-5525.
– Taryn Brodwater
‘Liberty Dollars’ used to buy gas
A woman bought $35 worth of gas at a Hayden service station last month, paying with two commemorative silver coins that she claimed were legal tender, according to police reports.
The “Liberty Dollars” had a $20 denomination stamped on the back of each coin. The woman told the manager of Short Stop Shell & Lube Center that the coins were replacing $20 bills, according to the account in the police report. The manager allowed her to pay for the gas with the coins, and he and a customer each exchanged one of their own $20 bills for a coin, the report said.
Later, the manager became suspicious and called a bank, where he learned that there are no $20 coins in circulation.
– Becky Kramer
Dead animals found in boys’ bathroom
Lakeland Junior High School officials want to know how a frozen cat and headless chicken ended up in a boys’ bathroom.
The dead cat was found two weeks ago. Lakeland Principal John Keating said he assumed someone saw the carcass on the way to school and thought it would be funny to stick it in a toilet. He thought it was an isolated, “disgusting” incident.
But last Thursday, a student found the dead chicken in the same bathroom. The principal called police, called an emergency staff meeting the next morning, sent letters to parents and had teachers talk to their students.
“We’re taking it very seriously,” Keating said. “We continue to investigate and keep our ears to the ground.”
Despite rumors that the animals might have been used in some sort of ritual, Rathdrum police Lt. Alex Carrington said he does not believe that to be true. He said he wasn’t sure if the animals died of natural causes.
– Rasha Madkour