Employees foil burglary attempt

COEUR d'ALENE — Employees delivering supplies Friday to the Cherished Ones Ministry food bank in Coeur d'Alene startled someone attempting to burglarize the facility.

The employees, according to a Coeur d'Alene Police Department incident report, were doing a weekly delivery food and other supplies at the food bank, located at 401 N. Second St., when they heard a noise coming from the back. When they went to investigate, according to the report, they found a man hiding behind a coat rack.

"The male ran out," the report states. "Milk was removed from the refrigerator and dropped on the floor. A case of salad mix and Costco-size broccoli bags were missing."

A police officer responded to the scene at 4 p.m. on Friday. According to the report, the food bank manager informed him that although he was not at the food bank during the burglary, the employee called him shortly after the suspect fled. The employee, according to the report, was helping a female unload a delivery.

"(He) instructed them not to pursue the male and to leave immediately and lock the door behind them," the report states.

After police arrived, the manager said the employee who caught the suspect hiding is a "member of the transient population" and did not want to be identified. The manager told police he understands that without suspect information, a police investigation would be limited, and he would attempt to get a description of the suspect from the transient employee.