Man arrested after hopping freight train

SANDPOINT — A Bonner County man was arrested for felony drug possession Wednesday after being caught illegally hopping a freight train near the Sandpoint Depot.

Sandpoint Police were summoned to the 300 block of First Avenue after receiving reports that a man who painted his face red was making threats, according to a probable cause affidavit. Officers encountered John Rudy Shane Dinger on Bridge Street near Gunning’s Alley, although he was released because the alleged victim did not wish to press charges.

Dinger, 38, was “extremely agitated” and “uncooperative” during his contact with police, the affidavit said.

Dinger was later spotted crossing Sand Creek near the Waterfront Texaco and walking toward a stopped train. The affidavit said Dinger was seen mounting the train between two cars and the locomotive began moving north.

However, the train was stopped in Ponderay for safety reasons and a search was conducted by officers from Sandpoint, Ponderay and the Bonner County Sheriff’s Office. During the search, Dinger turned up at Bonner General Health’s emergency room, where he was arrested. A small black tube containing a white substance which field-tested positive for methamphetamine was found in Dinger’s coat when he was booked into the Bonner County Jail, according to the affidavit.

Dinger is charged with possession of meth and stealing a ride on a train, a misdemeanor.

Dinger made an initial appearance on Thursday in Bonner County Magistrate Court via video feed with the jail. Bail and counsel information was not immediately available.

A preliminary hearing on the felony drug charge is scheduled for Jan. 23.

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