FBI looks for Idaho man in connection with shooting, kidnapping

Officials in northern Idaho say an arrest warrant has been issued for a man suspected of firing at an Idaho State Police trooper during a chase and later kidnapping a Rathdrum woman who was dropped off unharmed in eastern Montana.

The Kootenai sheriff said that on Friday before midnight, sheriff’s deputies tried to stop a pickup truck for a traffic violation on Highway 41 south of Spirit Lake.

The pickup led various agencies in pursuit in a 30-minute time frame. The sheriff said that each time an agency called off the pursuit, the pickup was spotted by a different agency.

Finally, the Idaho State Police found the pickup in Athol and pursued it to Rathdrum. The pickup stopped at a dead-end street, where Mitchell L. Walck, 57, fled on foot and the trooper pursued. Seconds after the foot pursuit began, the sheriff’s office said Walck fired a handgun at the trooper and continued his flight into a wooded area. The trooper was not hurt.

According to Kootenai County court records, a woman called 911 Sunday to report her sister-in-law said she had been kidnapped at gunpoint by Walck, who had been hiding at her house after the police pursuit.

Investigators say the 62-year-old woman was released unharmed in Glendive, Mont.

Walck was last seen driving the woman’s 2005 silver Subaru Forester with Idaho license plate K230050. The woman said Walck took two guns from her house, a 30-30 Winchester rifle and a Mossberg .22 caliber rifle.

Walck is 5’8″ to 5’10” and is medium build. He may have changed his appearance by shaving his facial hair and dying his hair black. If you see him, contact authorities — do not try to contact him, as he is considered armed and dangerous.

The warrant for Walck’s arrest is based on a kidnapping charge. The FBI is offering a $20,000 reward.