Coeur d’Alene transient suspected of attempted murder

Coeur d’Alene police are searching for a transient suspected of stabbing another man on Monday night. Police say they have probable cause to arrest James H. Kountz on suspicion of attempted murder, a news release from the Coeur d’Alene Police Department said. On Monday night around 6 p.m., motorists reported seeing a man stagger out of a wooded area on the east side of U.S. Highway 95 near Wilbur Avenue. The man, a 42-year-old transient, sustained multiple times in his upper torso and once on his face. He was taken to Kootenai Medical Center, where he is listed in stable condition, police said. He identified his attacker as Kountz, a 43-year-old transient who is known to law enforcement for prior arrests for aggravated battery, the release said. Officers shut down Highway 95 near Canfield and Wilbur avenues in order to contain the suspect, but did not find him. The area is dense with trees and sometimes inhabited with transient camps. Air One surveyed the area from the air, and a Kootenai County police dog also assisted in the search but was unable to locate Kountz. Residents are advised to lock their doors and windows and call 911 if they see Kountz in their neighborhoods. He is described as 5-foot-6, 185 pounds, balding with grey hair, hazel eyes and wearing camouflage shorts.