Angry at Avista

COEUR d'ALENE - A Coeur d'Alene business owner behind on his Avista bill was taken into protective custody Wednesday after a company man there to turn off his power allegedly felt threatened. John Hough, 52, was led away from the Roosevelt Inn Bed and Breakfast at 105 E. Wallace Ave. shortly after noon and ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation at Kootenai Medical Center, but is not being charged with a crime, police said.

COEUR d'ALENE - A Coeur d'Alene business owner behind on his Avista bill was taken into protective custody Wednesday after a company man there to turn off his power allegedly felt threatened.

John Hough, 52, was led away from the Roosevelt Inn Bed and Breakfast at 105 E. Wallace Ave. shortly after noon and ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation at Kootenai Medical Center, but is not being charged with a crime, police said.

Police removed an unloaded rifle from the top floor of the bed and breakfast where Hough and his wife, Tina, live. The rifle was referred to in the alleged threats, officials said, but they would not specify what those threats were.

"Nothing adds up to criminal charges," said Coeur d'Alene Police spokeswoman Christie Wood.

Several streets were blocked off and nearby buildings evacuated for around 20 minutes shortly after 10:30 a.m. while police investigated.

The worker did not see a weapon, Avista Corp. said, but showed up at the historic downtown building to collect payment or turn off its power. He left the property after allegedly overhearing Hough, speaking with the power company's office on the telephone at the time, make a remark that the serviceman perceived as threatening.

Hough and the serviceman were the only people at the scene at the time.

Tina Hough said the couple's business has been struggling financially recently, and that they had been working with all of their debtors on acceptable payment options and that Avista was the only company that didn't show any leniency.

She said that the couple is still making payments to Avista, but wasn't completely caught up and planned to make more payments soon.

"Everybody I do business with understands the economic times and how hard it is for small businesses," she said. "Here we are on the verge of summertime to get caught up and ... They can't wait three more weeks."

Avista spokesman Hugh Imhof said the company couldn't comment on client information.

Hough said their business was down between 30 percent and 60 percent each month in 2009 from the year before, but any alleged threat would be out of character for her husband, a decorated veteran, who has owned the Roosevelt with his wife for 11 years.

"We've been struggling to get through here the last couple of years and every single person has worked with us, our phone, our mortgage company, everybody except Avista," she said. "I've been making monthly payments and I've got my bill very close to caught up and they do something like this. It just set him off. We're trying so hard."

Police take people into protective custody only when they could be a danger to themselves or others, Wood said, and Hough would be released after the test.

Imhof said Avista service workers in eastern Washington and Idaho have reported four threats in the last month, a trend that seems to be rising compared to previous years.

"It has people shook up," Imhof said. "Certainly the economy could be a factor."