Our son - the negotiator...?

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Folks....I just had to share this with you. Spokane WA is the nearest big city and about 110 miles north of Lewiston Idaho where we live. Our oldest son Mark is a Nez Perce County (Idaho) deputy sheriff and works as a jailer."Now for the rest of the story".......


Monday evening 2 paramedics here in Lewiston Idaho responded to a 911 medical emergency at a residence. As they normally do, they left the engine running on the ambulance while they attended to the patient within the residence. A 34 year-old man under the influence of alcohol, decided he'd always wanted to drive an ambulance and did so. He calmly got into the ambulance; turned on the blue lights, notified the fire department and sheriff's dept. via radio that he was taking the ambulance for a ride and had turned on the blue lights for "safety". The ride lasted 2 hours and covered 40 miles up a mountain, through a late spring snow storm through the small town of Winchester Idaho and turned north on US 95. At this point an Idaho State Police Officer decided to drop the "spikes" and successfully did so. The driver of the ambulance drove the ambulance another 7 miles on the deflated tires before pulling over and surrendering to authorities. According to the two deputy sheriffs in two cars that followed the stolen ambulance, most of the driving was under 25 miles per hour but in one short instance did get upto 45mph. Authorities via radio were trying to negotiate this guy into surrendering and asked if there was anyone he'd trust and be willing to negotiate with. He asked to speak to "my good friend Mark Fitzgerald". Our son happened to be on duty at the time. This guy had "frequented" the accomidations our son helps provide. He'd also shot darts in a dart league with our oldest. During the negotiations with our son the guy finally agreed to surrender if "there were no guns involved" and if our son would have either "a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or a bologna sandwich waiting for him when he arrived at the jail". Of course, our son asked him if he was armed and the criminal stated he wasn't. A tape of the negotiations made it to our local tv station.......and to at least one of the tv stations in Spokane, WA. The local paper had quite an article about the incident. You can imagine the "harrassment" our son received after it was over. My brother in Wyoming wanted to know if our son used "Jiff or Peterpan " peanut butter.....he also wanted to know if he fryed his bologna used in the sandwiches. When I talked with our son last night to harrass him ....he said the harrassment he was getting from fellow deputy sheriffs and city police officers would probably never end........As stated by one of the officers......."Luckily....most criminals are not too intelligent!" :D :D :D

[Jerry Olexa]

Your son did well. You should be proud of him. Good story...

[Jeff Sudmeier]

That is a heck of a story! Sometimes the best ones are true. I am sure he will be harrassed from some time on that one!

[Rich Konopka]

Cool Story Ken. Your son did the job he was suppose to do without anyone getting hurt. Good for him and good for the proud papa !!

[Jim Becker]

The fact that the man felt he could trust your son in such a situation speaks mountains about Mark's character, both as a person and an officer. Bravo!

[Ted Shrader]

Ken -

Pass along a well done to your son. He did well in preventing any further damages/injuries. No harassment from here!

Ted

[Chad Pater]

Great story! Thx for the smile this morning :)

[Darren Ford]

You should be proud of both of your sons. Mark for obvious reasons, and the other for the fried bologna comment, that was classic!

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Folks......thanks for the comments. I was truly blessed with 3 kids who have all turned into responsible young adults. :) I really didn't post this as a gloat but for a little levity! If I'm going to jail for a couple of felonies, when I'm negotiating I'll want more than a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or a bologna sandwich! :D

[Jim Stastny]

Send that story in to Reader's Digest before somebody takes it and does the same. There could be $300 in it for you.

[Jeff Sudmeier]

Jim's suggestion is a good one! I would think it would have a good chance of being published!

[Jerry Clark]

Congratulations for your son-- to many times the police get blamed for doing the job they are paid for and are suppose to do. He acted in a professional manner and helped prevent injury to the suspect and Innocent people. Great son!

[John Hart]

Not only is that a cool story....you brought back some great but forgotten memories of Lewiston and Grangeville from a long time ago.

Thank you very much!

[Ken Fitzgerald]

John......I moved to Lewiston from Chicago in 1982. I elk hunt east of Grangeville just outside Elk City. God willing, I'll retire here in 4 more years and they'll scatter my ashes in the Pilot Knob/Pilot Rock area after I'm gone! I'm never nearer my maker than when sitting on a little knob off the Elk City wagon road, in the brisk October air, snow on the ground, looking up at Pilot Rock and sharing a cup of coffee from a thermos in my backpack with one of my dearest friends and fellow elk hunters. You look to the southeast and as far as your 20/20 vision can see you see row after row after row of mountains. The beauty is so overpowering!

[John Hart]

Ken, you sure know what to say....My favorite rock is in the Sawtooth Range to the south of you a couple hundred miles...It's called Trinity Mountain (about 8500 ft). Its the peak to the right in the distance. It's a place I felt small and insignificant but at the same time, truly at peace.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

John.......You understand! My father chased oil rigs in Wyoming, Colorado and Utah in the 50's and 60's. It was 20 years later and I was an adult before getting back to the montains, first on the eastern side of the Cascades in central Oregon. The LOML was a flatlander with a tremendous fear of driving in the mountains. It's been fun watching her become "westernized"! As much as she and I often wish we were near our aging parents in Illinois and Indiana....she has been quoted saying " I wish we were near to our folks but I couldn't live there"! You are so right.....small, insignificant and yet at peace!

[John Hart]

Heh heh.....driving in the mountains can be a real horror show for the passenger...But there's so much to look at!! Driving north from Boise along the Salmon River it's difficult to pay attention to the road....and those narrow winding dirt roads going up into the mountains with no guard rails and eternity just around the next curve. Just tell your wife....What a way to go eh?

I grew up in Mountain Home, graduated HS and attended Boise State U after that. I joined the Navy in 1979 and never made it back. I'm actually making it back for a vacation for the first time late this Spring. I can barely stand the wait and I already know that the trip will be too short. So many rocks to climb...

[Joe Mioux]

Ken: I was driving from Effingham to Flora yesterday on 45. I got out of my truck to make a delivery to one of the flower shops in Flora and the first thing that hit me was the smell of oil. Those old fields are still pumping. With such a pristine area where you live now, I bet you don't miss the smell of oil and gas.


Joe
BTW great story about your son.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Joe....I have a couple of members of my Dad's family and some HS friends that I visit every year or two in Flora. You're right...don't miss the smell. I broke out roughnecking on oil rigs at age 15. Worked morning tower (11-7) and went to HS days my last 3 years in HS. Coming from a large family, I could make almost as much as my father who was a driller. I know that smell well! I really don't miss it. While I do live in a very beautiful place, I have found beauty in every place I've lived and worked. Some of the hay fields or "river bottoms" around Flora, Xenia, Louisville have their own beauty! In our 36 years of marriage the LOML and I have had homes in Illinois, Georgia, Mississippi, south Texas, Oregon and Idaho. You can find beauty from coast to coast in this country of ours......You just have to get out, experience the country and you can find the beauty! It's kind of like your flowers Joe....different species.....different kinds of beauty but all beautiful!

[Ken Fitzgerald]

John....I think you'll be in for some surpises! The roads in Idaho have changed and are ever changing. US 95 the single N/S highway in Idaho is now going through a revampment that in time will make it 4 lanes. To those of you reading that have never traversed Idaho.....Like Illinois ....Idaho is a long state north to south....from the Canadian border to Utah and Nevada...currently you have 1 N/S highway that traverses the entire state ...2 lanes.....narrow in places with a river say the Boise River ...or the Salmon River on one side of the road and a rock face on the other......a heavily loaded truck slowly traveling ahead.....you can't safely pass at this point as you climb the next steep climb.......some idiot behind you decides to pass.....everybody except the idiot has a cardiac.....Enjoy your trip John!

[Scott Parks]

Ah, Ken, more memories for me, too... (I used to fly a lot between Boise and Lewiston). Anyway, if I could build my house anywhere... It would be just south of Waha, overlooking the canyons... I had it all picked out from the air every time I flew that route... Haven't been back to Lewiston for 2 years. How's the real estate there? Hot as CDA? How about all the buzz about Tamarak! I'll have to go down there one of these days and check it out.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Scott....Lewiston is growing but not like CDA. The economy here while it isn't a barnburner has been pretty steady and stable. Our population is about 30,000 now. That's a 50% increase in the 23 years we've lived here. Don't you big city folks laugh....at 30,000 Lewiston used to be the 5th largest city in the state.....okay.....5th largest TOWN in the state. :rolleyes: Like the economy, the housing market hasn't been overly inflated. I take it you fly or used to fly for Horizon Airlines. If so, I may have flown with you. I travel on business and pleasure several times a year out of Lewiston. The area south of Waha looking down into Hells Canyon or into the Salmon River Canyon is pretty! Scott...you'll have to explain what it's like to pilot a plane that's landing on the East going runway.....just guessing 90R....here in Lewiston.........You see.....The canyon is stepped.......when you land going East at the Lewiston airport...if you were a little bit low.....there's this big rock face......can you say "SPLAT?". :eek:

[Scott Parks]

Guess I'm used to the view landing on runway 08 in LWS. It's not as bad as it looks, you're still at about 300-400 feet when crossing the edge of the cliff. I find it was more fun to fly a base leg over the Clearwater/Salmon, and turn to land on runway 11. I don't know if you've ever flown into Billings, but landing there is more exiciting landing over the cliff than LWS. You guessed it, I flew the Dash 8 for over 5 years... Based in Denver now.

City Folk? Haha.. I moved here to escape the city, I hate the city. I grew up in rural Seattle, which exploded in growth in the late 80's. Now I'd never go back. But now it is happening here. Real Estate is nuts here... I've made well over $100k on my house in less than two years. We're going to sell late summer and move to Denver. We'll sure miss Idaho, but I hope to come back when I figure out how to make millions:D