Man arrested after standoff

COEUR d’ALENE — Booms rang out in the frigid air, shattering an otherwise silent Wednesday afternoon.

Not gunshots, which aren’t uncommon in the area.

The sounds came from flash bangs — explosive devices used to disorient a target.

Far up a winding dirt path, hidden by evergreens, a standoff was underway.

A wanted man accused of pointing a shotgun at a neighbor had holed himself up inside a house, refusing to surrender himself to SWAT.

Neighbors and others who exited the house said the suspect — identified as 44-year-old Travis J. Mathis — was armed.

Police called Mathis on the phone. When they couldn’t convince him to walk outside, they threw flash bangs into the front and side yards. Next, they deployed tear gas.

Mathis reportedly surrendered after officers entered the house.

He was arrested on charges of aggravated assault and unlawful possession of a firearm, both felonies.

Meanwhile, a neighbor asked law enforcement what had caused about 25 police officers, the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office and Coeur d’Alene Police Department to descend on this quiet, rural road.

“We’re executing a search warrant on the encampment,” an officer told him.

The neighbor’s relief was palpable.

“Thank god,” he said. “Thank god.”

Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris said the property first came to the county’s attention last summer, when a fire broke out and scorched a hillside.

The fire was reportedly caused by a man grilling meat using a spoked bicycle wheel as a barbecue.

County records show Gailord Mathis owns the property.

Between 40 and 50 people live on the 9-acre property in the summer months, police said, paying rent to park their campers and trailers.

Fewer people remain in winter. No children are known to live on the property.

The property has no running water and no sewer system.

PVC pipes stick out of some campers — a makeshift method of removing waste, directly onto the ground. A pair of outhouses provide another option.

“The conditions I saw on this property are absolutely horrible,” Norris said.

If not for the fire, he said, the conditions might have gone unnoticed for much longer.

The encampment is set far back on the property, tucked away from the main road, with “private property” signs warning people away.

Few people ventured close enough to see the full extent of the situation — at least until Wednesday’s raid, which officials said revealed a host of alleged code violations.

Panhandle Health District is investigating environmental health concerns.

Code violations are a landowner’s responsibility. The goal of code enforcement is to correct the problems.

The raid stemmed from a report that Mathis pointed a shotgun at another resident.

It wasn’t the first complaint law enforcement received about the property.

For months, neighbors have reported what they described as suspicious activity, as well as a spate of thefts. Police have also received reports of gunshots fired at neighboring properties.

After an investigation into the alleged assault, police obtained a warrant for Mathis’s arrest, as well as a search warrant for his residence.

Animal Control also responded to the property, where a black miniature horse paced a small paddock with no access to water. The horse’s hooves were severely overgrown.

Behind the house, a dog in a large kennel played eagerly with officers, while another dog shied away. Police said they found numerous cats inside the home, all in poor condition.

Norris said ongoing staffing challenges have hampered the county’s response to possible code violations.

“Quality of life issues have been present on this property for a long time,” he said. “They’ve deteriorated to the point where it’s a public hazard.”

Norris said the property police raided this week is one of several similar parcels in Kootenai County, where people are living in unsafe conditions that put them and their neighbors at risk.

“We want to see a collaboration (between local agencies) to make sure all these significant issues are addressed,” he said.