Report of rollover crash in North Idaho early Saturday turned out to be only partly true

Multiple law enforcement agencies in Idaho spent several hours early Saturday searching for what they had been told was a car on fire with a man trapped inside. The report turned out to be only partly true, and one man faces charges of driving under the influence in connection with the incident.

It started at about 1:15 a.m. Saturday, when a woman called 911 to report that Joe Ransom, 53, of Spirit Lake, told her he’d been in a rollover crash. Ransom said he’d been in a car with Heath Nimmo, 34, of Bayview, and that the vehicle had caught fire and Nimmo was trapped inside somewhere between Bayview and Athol, according to the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office.

In response, 10 deputies from the sheriff’s office, plus members of the Idaho State Police, Spirit Lake Police Department and the Bonner County Sheriff’s Office began searching for the vehicle.

The woman who called 911 said she was in contact with Ransom, who told her Nimmo couldn’t move and Ransom didn’t know if Nimmo “was going to make it,” according to a news release.

A train could be heard in the background during their conversation. Both Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad and Union Pacific Railroad halted traffic in the area in case the reported crash was on or near their tracks, the release said.

The Kootenai County 911 Center called Ransom on his cell phone, but Ransom was uncooperative and told a dispatcher he had no idea where he was, the release said. Law enforcement tracked down Ransom at a house two hours after the crash was initially reported. He had superficial injuries, the release said.

He gave deputies enough information, however, that they were able to find the vehicle - which hadn’t caught fire - about 75 feet down a steep cliff near a railroad access road, about a mile north of Highway 54. Nimmo told law enforcement officers that he hadn’t been able to get out of the vehicle because he’d lost his shoes in the crash.

He was transported to Kootenai Health with non-life-threatening injuries and was cited for driving under the influence of alcohol. Both Nimmo and Ransom could face additional charges, according to the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office.

Train traffic resumed in the area after about 2 1/2 hours.