Deaths in the family

The Green River Police Department mourns the deaths of two of their own, one a respected detective and the other a beloved drug dog.

Tuesday night, police chief Chris Steffen told the Green River City Council of retired Lt. Mont Mecham’s death in Idaho Falls, Idaho, Monday.

Mecham was shot while on duty in 1996, an injury a teary-eyed Steffen said “is what probably ended his life.”

Mecham was one of two officers shot during a confrontation with Steven Mitchell Oct. 14, 1996. According to a Green River Star article published Oct. 17, 1996, Mecham was shot by Mitchell, armed with a shot...