Specter seen again in Cd'A

By AUTUMN FAHL

Staff Writer

Determined to stay awake last night, Loren Benoit nodded off anyway.

And just like an alarm clock set for 12:01 a.m., he was jolted to instant awareness when the police scanner in his lap issued an alert exactly like it had the previous two nights.

“All units in downtown Coeur d’Alene,” said a clearly stressed-out police dispatcher. “Multiple reports of a ghost wandering in the 300 block of Coeur d’Alene Avenue. Proceed with extreme caution.”

Twenty-four hours earlier, Loren had captured one photograph of what looked like a woman walking through Forest Cemetery on Government Way just north of downtown. In a Press interview, he said he never felt threatened by the apparition, though he did have the sense she was on a mission of some kind, perhaps looking for someone or something.

Officials scoffed at the photo, which was published in Friday’s newspaper.

“This looks like a Halloween hoax if ever I saw one,” said Mayor Steve Widmyer. “Ghosts? In Coeur d’Alene? Give me a break.”

“That picture looked kind of like how I feel the day after a good party,” said City Manager Jim Hammond. “Only my headaches are real.”

But then again last night, Loren caught up with what he swears is a real, dead ghost. Though he said he took numerous photos, only one image was in his digital camera when he arrived at the newspaper office just before 1 a.m.

“I can’t explain that,” he said, shaking his head. “My camera can take more than 200 photos a minute, and I know I shot for at least five minutes.”

Undaunted, Loren said he would remain vigilant tonight. Because the specter has reportedly been seen only in the downtown Coeur d’Alene area, the newspaper photographer said he’d camp out at a central location to be close to the action — if there is any action.

“I’m hoping she recognizes that I’m not an enemy of the American people, living or deceased,” Loren said. “I just want to know what she wants.”

TO BE CONTINUED