In brief: Man breaks leg fleeing fire in cave
A man who was living in a makeshift cave dwelling along the Spokane River broke his leg Thursday morning running from a fire that ignited inside the structure.
Spokane County sheriff’s Deputy Craig Chamberlin said the man was a transient and had been living in the cave off Upriver Drive near Boulder Beach for about eight days.
He had used sticks and logs to build a shelter up against large boulders that lean over like a cave.
The cause of the fire is unknown, Chamberlin said, but the man will not be charged for illegal burning on the property, which is part of the city parks system.
Naked man taken into protective custody
Coeur d’Alene police officers took a naked man into protective custody Wednesday night after they found several people holding him to the ground.
Witnesses told police the 27-year-old man was jumping on cars, screaming and running after people in the 3700 block of Whisper Drive, according to a Coeur d’Alene Police Department news release.
The neighbors let the man go when authorities arrived, but he began yelling nonsensical sentences at officers, the release said. Officers pulled him to the ground, where they cuffed him and restrained his legs.
Medics took him to Kootenai Medical Center for examination. His name will not be released due to medical privacy laws, police spokeswoman Christie Wood said.
No charges have been filed, but a neighbor told police he had bumps and scratches from restraining the man, the release said.
Two hurt in Valley mobile home fire
Two people were injured in a fire at a mobile home in Spokane Valley on Thursday morning.
Firefighters responded about 11:30 a.m. to a report of a home on fire in the Circle J Mobile Home Park at 7800 E. Alki Ave., according to Assistant Fire Marshal Bill Clifford. Heavy smoke was coming from the windows when they arrived, he said.
A caregiver had helped the homeowner escape the blaze, but the homeowner suffered burns on her leg, Clifford said. She and the caregiver were taken to a hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation.
The cause of the fire was being investigated.
Reward for tips on Ramsey Park vandalism
A bathroom is closed for repairs after vandals destroyed two urinals at Ramsey Park in Coeur d’Alene.
A cash reward is offered for information leading to the arrest of those responsible for about $10,000 damage to the restroom, according to a Coeur d’Alene Police Department news release. The park is at 3525 N. Ramsey Road.
City of Coeur d’Alene Parks employees believe the vandals used a rock to damage the restroom around 11 p.m. on Tuesday.
Tips can be reported to Crime Stoppers of the Inland Northwest at (208) 667-2111.
Yellow Lab saves Yorkie from hawk
A yellow Lab named Dakota is being credited with rescuing a 7-pound Yorkshire terrier named Cory from a hawk.
Steve Groves said the Lab on Tuesday barked and bolted from his home south of Post Falls and out of sight into the woods.
Moments later a hawk flew off and a short time after that Dakota and Cory returned home, he told the Coeur d’Alene Press.
Eight-year-old Cory had cuts on both sides of his back, he said, and he and the veterinarian agreed Cory’s wounds came from talons.
Groves said even if the hawk couldn’t fly away with Cory, the bird likely would have eaten him on the ground.