Coeur d’Alene Attorney Drowns

BAYVIEW, Idaho (AP) — Officials in northern Idaho say longtime Coeur d'Alene defense attorney Sam Eismann has drowned in Lake Pend Oreille.

Kootenai County Sheriff's Lt. Stu Miller says it appears Eismann accidentally fell into the cold lake on Monday, but it was unclear if a medical event caused him to end up in the water.

Eismann, who was 70, owned a float home in Bayview.

Eismann was known for defending former Shoshone County Sheriff Frank Crnkovich against federal racketeering charges that alleged he ignored illegal gambling and prostitution in the county. Crnkovich was acquitted after his second trial in 1993.

Eismann served one term in the Idaho state legislature representing Canyon County and two years as an assistant U.S. attorney before going into private practice as a defense attorney.