Meth suspected in man's death

SANDPOINT — Methamphetamine toxicity and hypothermia are listed as the causes of death of a man whose body was found in Colburn Creek last fall, according to a Bonner County coroner’s report.

The body of Amos John Kopas was discovered by a passerby in the 100 block of Bailey Road on Nov. 24, 2017. Kopas was found north of a culvert and it appeared to have washed up onto a large boulder in the middle of the creek, the coroner’s report said.

Kopas, 35, was identified with a Wisconsin driver’s license that was found in his wallet and by his tattoos, according to the report.

Kopas was a known meth user, according to the report of Coroner Robert Beers, a former Sandpoint Police officer who was appointed to complete the term of former Coroner Katherine Rose.

An autopsy was conducted several days after Kopas’ body was discovered.

“No external evidence of trauma or foul play suspected,” Beers said in the report.

Kopas pleaded guilty to felony drug possession in Bonner County in 2013 and meth trafficking in Boundary County in 2010, according to the Idaho Supreme Court Data Repository.

There is no indication in the report of what caused Kopas to be in or near the creek.

The report was obtained by the Daily Bee after a request two weeks ago through Idaho’s public records law. The report was released Thursday, after the county’s risk manager was notified of the public records request.

Keith Kinnaird can be reached by email at kkinnaird@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow him on Twitter @KeithDailyBee.