Man pleads guilty to drug possession

The husband of a missing Post Falls woman who was arrested for filling her prescriptions in her absence pleaded guilty Thursday to one count of fraudulent possession of a controlled substance, a felony punishable by up to four years in prison.

As part of an agreement, the second count was dropped, as were misdemeanor charges of possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

William Tolson was arrested in late February with his son, Lawrence, after detectives investigating the disappearance of his wife, Roxann, learned the two had been filling the woman’s prescriptions. Tolson told police he last saw his wife Aug. 14, according to police reports, but he didn’t attempt to report her missing until mid-November.

Post Falls police Lt. Greg McLean said the investigation is ongoing. “We’ve pretty much exhausted what we have in our means to actually try to find her,” he said.

William Tolson’s sentencing is scheduled for June 20.

Lawrence Tolson pleaded not guilty in March to charges of fraudulent possession of a controlled substance and delivery of a controlled substance. His trial is scheduled for July 25.

– Meghann M. Cuniff

City has three bids to build library

Coeur d’Alene received three construction bids Thursday for the new public library, each within $46,000 of the others and just over the construction estimate of $5.8 million.

The city’s attorneys and the project architect must review the bids before the City Council makes a final selection within the next few weeks.

Leone and Keeble Construction of Spokane turned in the lowest-base bid with $6.104 million. Walker Construction of Spokane bid $6.120 million, while Contractors Northwest of Coeur d’Alene proposed $6.150 million.

At 38,500 square feet, the new library will more than double the space of the existing facility on Harrison Avenue. Crews have already begun clearing the lot across from City Hall on Seventh Street between Front and Mullan avenues.

– Erica Curless

Bikers to gather for annual parade

Motorcyclists will gather at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Kootenai County Courthouse for an annual parade to kick off Motorcycle Awareness Month.

In the parade’s sixth year, bikers will ride down Sherman Avenue and end at Northwest’s Classic’s Bike Show and Swap Meet in Cataldo, Idaho.

American Bikers Aimed Toward Education, the organization sponsoring the parade, invites all motorcycle enthusiasts to attend.

– Meghann M. Cuniff