Horsing around costs Vay man

SANDPOINT - A Bonner County man who rode his horse onto an occupied baseball field in a failed attempt to round the bases pleaded guilty earlier this month to a misdemeanor nuisance charge.

Thor Todten Hoefer was fined $300 and placed on unsupervised probation for one year, court records show. Hoefer pleaded guilty during a pretrial hearing on Oct. 3.

The incident happened at Priest River Elementary School on June 14.

Witnesses said Hoefer, a 38-year-old from the Vay area, unloaded a horse from a trailer and began riding on the baseball diamond while children were playing on it. He was told repeatedly to leave the field, but would not because of a $50 bet, according to a Priest River Police report.

More than a dozen kids and a coach were near third base and apparently halted Hoefer’s progress, the report said. Witnesses told police Hoefer tried spurring the horse in an attempt to get through the crowd.

“It appeared the horse would not go forward with the children in front of it,” Officer Chris Davis said in his report.

Hoefer, who appeared to be drunk, loaded the horse back into the trailer after being advised the police had been summoned, the report said.

Hoefer was granted a withheld judgment, which means the charge could be removed from his record upon successful completion of probation.