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Spirit Lake murder victim's longtime boyfriend arrested as 'person of interest'

The Kootenai County Sheriff's Office arrested John Dalton Jr. in St. Maries, Idaho.

SPIRIT LAKE, Idaho — The Kootenai County Sheriff's Office arrested a man Wednesday after identifying him as a person of interest in connection to the murder of a Spirit Lake woman. 

In a press release Wednesday night, the KCSO said they booked John Dalton, Jr., 55, into the Kootenai County Public Safety Building and charged him with murder.

Earlier in the day, he was spotted in the St. Maries area. Then Benewah County Sheriff's office assisted KSCO to get a search warrant for a hotel in the area. Investigators then found evidence of the crime, according to the release.

In another press release Wednesday morning, the KCSO said Spirit Lake police responded to a home on the 4000 block of West Delaware Street at 7 p.m. Monday for a welfare check. Friends and family requested a check on 56-year-old Tina Swor after that did not hear from her for a couple of days, the press release says. 

Spirit Lake officers entered the home and found Swor dead inside the house. Spirit Lake Police requested KCSO's Detective Division to investigate the incident. The preliminary investigation indicated foul play, according to the sheriff's office. 

The Benewah and Kootenai County Sheriff said the public played a role in tracking down Dalton. 

If you have any information regarding the incident, you're asked to contact Det. Ballman at 208-446-2237 or hballman@kcgov.us.

This is a developing story and will be updated when more information is available.

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