HAUSER, Idaho — Police briefly detained a man hours before he allegedly killed a Hauser Lake resident last month, records show, as reported by our news partner the Coeur d'Alene Press.
Adam J. Bennett, 44, is charged with the murder of 77-year-old Dennis Rogers.
He is also charged with three counts of attempted murder, possession of stolen property, unlawful possession of a firearm and grand theft.
Records obtained Tuesday by The Press indicate that a police officer for BNSF Railway responded around 3:50 p.m. on Feb. 28 to a report of a trespasser walking alongside a freight train near the intersection of Highway 53 and West Prairie Avenue in Hauser.
The suspected trespasser, later identified as Bennett, reportedly boarded a train that was not in motion.
Police detained Bennett in handcuffs, then contacted dispatch at the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office to confirm whether Bennett had any active warrants, records show.
Bennett was wanted on two unrelated warrants out of Washington County, Idaho, according to court documents.
It’s unclear whether law enforcement confirmed the existence of the warrants.
The BNSF Railway officer ultimately cited and released Bennett for the misdemeanor crime of stealing a ride on a train.
Hours later, Bennett allegedly set fire to a structure near a Hauser Lake residence.
Dennis Rogers reportedly spotted Bennett setting the fire, armed himself with a gun and went outside to investigate.
Bennett overpowered Rogers, took the gun and shot him dead, according to reports.
Bennett then allegedly shot another person, who was transported to Kootenai Health with non-life-threatening injuries.
Police arrested Bennett and booked him into jail on the Washington County warrants.
Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris said Tuesday that law enforcement’s initial contact with Bennett is under investigation, specifically the call to dispatch to confirm any warrants.
“We want to evaluate all the processes here to determine if and where we could’ve performed better,” Norris said.
KCSO has no estimate when the investigation will be complete.
Burnout experienced by overworked 911 dispatchers is an area of particular concern, the sheriff said.
Norris said KCSO’s Dispatch Center, which serves 14 area agencies, is critically understaffed.
“The fatigue factor is extremely high,” he said.
Staffing shortages necessitate mandatory overtime for the remaining dispatchers, Norris said, which leads to more burnout, which leads to more resignations.
Dispatchers have access to many of the same resources as patrol deputies, Norris said, including peer counseling.
He said KCSO encourages dispatchers to seek outside counseling, which is covered by their medical insurance. KCSO also reportedly pays for dispatchers to undergo mental health checks after traumatizing calls.
Still, the job takes a toll. Some dispatchers are reportedly quitting in order to take jobs in other fields that offer lower pay but are less demanding.
Norris said part of the solution is to increase wages for KCSO staff, which he believes would attract new hires and retain current employees. He’s called on the Board of County Commissioners to increase KCSO’s budget.
While Commissioner Bill Brooks advocates for increasing pay by $5 an hour across the board, Commissioners Leslie Duncan and Chris Fillios have historically disagreed that doing so would solve the problem.
Fillios told The Press in early March that he doesn’t believe KCSO’s staffing challenges are solely due to wages, which are comparable to other area agencies.
Duncan said elements that affect labor shortages, such as the housing market and the nature of high-stress jobs, aren’t within the control of the commissioners.
The Coeur d'Alene Press is a KREM 2 news partner. For more from our news partner, click here.