Jury quickly acquits river trail trespasser

A Columbia Falls City Court jury wasted little time Sept. 13 in finding a local woman not guilty of trespassing on a closed city trail.

Valerie McKay, 54, of Columbia Falls, was cited by police on May 24 after a woman who lives near the trail that runs along the Flathead River from the Red Bridge to Cedar Pointe Estates contacted police.

Inge Cahill submitted photographs of McKay’s car, which was parked near the bridge abutment on May 22 about 5:30 p.m., and of McKay using the trail. The city had posted “trail closed” signs at the bridge because a portion of the trail near Cedar Pointe was flooded by seasonal high water and covered with driftwood.

The city acquired an easement across the property from the late Loren Kreck, who wanted the public to have access along the river, and built a primitive trail. Mark and Inge Cahill later acquired the Kreck property with the easement in place.

In a voluntary statement to police, Cahill claimed she saw McKay take notice of the sign saying the trail was closed and duck under the nearby yellow caution tape. She said she followed McKay and caught up to her near the flooded portion of the trail. Cahill claims McKay acted “hostile” after being told she was trespassing.

In her statement, McKay described Cahill as “nasty and arrogant.” McKay also claimed she never acted hostile, never saw the “trail closed” signs by the bridge and didn’t understand the purpose of the yellow caution ribbon.

Columbia Falls police have received numerous calls over the past year from the Cahills about people straying from the narrow easement that defines the public trail, making noise or leaving trash behind.