False alarm explained

BONNERS FERRY — A concerned citizen witnessed a suspicious circumstance on Jan. 14, in the area near Dodge Peak Lodge, that prompted a call to the Boundary County Sheriff’s Office the following day.

According to a press release from the Sheriff’s Office, it was reported that a pickup with an Avista decal had possibly attempted to pick up two children that had gotten off a school bus.

“We appreciate suspicious circumstances being reported so that they can be investigated,” said Boundary County Sheriff Dave Kramer in the press release. “In this case it turned out to be a misunderstanding.”

Sheriff’s Detectives investigated the incident, reviewed video footage, spoke with the children involved, as well as the Avista driver, who explained what he was doing in the area.

“He explained that he had been reading meters in the area and had been driving around in a circle attempting to get the wireless reading to pick up and noticed the children watching him,” Kramer wrote in the press release. “He said that he stopped to explain why he was driving around in a circle to the children, but at no time asked them to get in the vehicle.”

According to the press release, when the Detective spoke with the children, they verified that they were never asked to get in the pickup.

“Again, we would rather err on the side of caution and want people to report suspicious activity, and we are thankful that this incident was not a case of someone attempting to pick up children,” wrote Kramer.