Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
DAVENPORT—A caller from Lincoln Hospital twice reported seeing a cougar behind the hospital Saturday, May 28, but authorities were unable to track down and vanquish the puma.
According to police records, a hospital employee called the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office to say another employee saw a cougar walking around while depositing trash into hospital dumpsters.
Two deputies and one sergeant from LCSO and a trooper with National Parks Service responded to the initial call, which came at 9:52 p.m. Saturday.
Officer Christopher Dodds with NPS used night vision to try and locate the cat, but none was sighted and units cleared, according to records.
The same employee then called again at 10:27 p.m. to say they saw the cougar go up the stairs of the clinic. Upon a second response, Deputy Nicole Schmidt said she found the cougar staring at her just east of Highway 25 and attempted to kill it, but further investigation found it wasn’t the cat, according to records.
Units remained on scene until 12:22 a.m. Sunday, May 29, but never found the cougar.
The reported sighting came on the same day that a nine-year-old girl was attacked by a cougar at a campsite near Fruitland. The girl was airlifted to a hospital, but was reported to be in stable condition this week.
LCSO’s Facebook page posted tips on what to do if a cougar is encountered, including avoiding hiking, biking or jogging alone or after sunset, facing the animal and making oneself bigger and avoiding crouching or bending over.
Drew Lawson is the editor of the Davenport Times. He is a graduate of Eastern Washington University.
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