Mark Herman felt sick to his stomach when he first saw the vandalized dummy police car outside Echo Lake Cafe on the morning of June 2.  

“We assumed when we got the call that morning that it was a broken window or two,” Herman said.  

When he arrived at Echo Lake Cafe, which he owns with his wife, Amy, he found the car totally destroyed.  

“I saw the hood popped, and all the doors open, the windows busted out and the mannequin sitting in the engine bay,” Herman said. “Every single tire slashed, mirrors, headlights, taillights, everything bashed in, words carved into it ... It was like, this is so much beyond just a little prank. It seemed pretty thoughtful, which was even more sickening, honestly.” 

The Hermans weren’t even able to shift the vehicle into neutral when the tow truck arrived to move it, and they realized it was a total loss.  

The Flathead County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the incident. The Hermans said there are no suspects, but based on audio from neighbors’ security cameras, they believe teenagers were involved.  

“Knowing that it's teenagers, the likelihood that they're talking to their peers and sharing on social media is pretty high,” said Amy. “I think our plea with the community would just be for people to maybe talk to their kids and ask them if they know anything.” 

The mock police car has been stationed across from Echo Lake Cafe at the intersection of Swan Highway and Echo Lake Road since December 2024 as a reminder for drivers to slow down at the dangerous intersection. 

Wyatt Potts, a Swan River School classmate of Amy’s, was killed that month two years ago in a head-on collision in broad daylight in front of Echo Lake Cafe. Potts was leaving a baby shower at Swan River Community Hall with his fiancée, Teressa Brandt, and her daughter, who were both injured in the wreck.  

“It was just tragic and horrible to be on scene and see the devastation that it caused,” Amy remembered. “I got home, and Mark and I were talking, and it was just like, ‘What could we have done as a business on this crazy corner, where there are a lot of accidents, to maybe prevent something like this in the future. Could we have prevented this accident?’”  

Amy kept returning to the dummy police cars stationed in Lakeside and the Swan Lake, areas where cars often speed through reduced speed limit zones.  

“It makes you check your speed, so we were like, ‘We should get a cop car. It would be perfect for this corner,’” Amy said. 

Amy said they found the perfect car in Butte just two or three days after the accident. They painted the vehicle and created a mannequin they named Trooper Steve, complete with a mustache and sunglasses.  

“It definitely made a difference,” Mark said. “I witnessed people hit their brakes and really slow down. It was really fun the first couple weeks. People just didn't know what to think. There'd be times where an actual Highway Patrol or sheriff’s [deputy] would be parked next to it and pull people over. It's just the mannequin, but sometimes the real deal is right next to it.” 

Located in almost the exact spot the 2024 crash happened, the police car was as much a tribute to Wyatt and Teressa as it was a reminder for tourists and locals speeding down the road in the busy months. Mark and Amy didn’t think they would try to replace it after it was vandalized, feeling too discouraged to invest emotionally and financially in a replacement.  

It wasn’t until Amy posted an update on Echo Lake’s Facebook page that the Hermans realized how much the old police car meant to the broader community. Support poured in, and the Hermans decided just days after the vehicle was destroyed that they would find a new police car. Community members made donations to help the effort, although Amy said they aren’t asking the community to finance the new police car.  

“We did not anticipate the amount of people that were attached to the car,” said Amy. “We just kind of thought it was our little circle of people, because we never made an announcement that it was ours. We just kind of wanted it to just be for the community.” 

While the Hermans do not expect the community to fund the next car, they know many want to donate, and have created a page on Echo Lake Cafe’s website for contributions. For more information, visit echolakecafe.com/donate-copcar.

Reporter Elsa Ericksen can be reached at 406-758-4459 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.

    The mock police car outside Echo Lake Cafe following an act of vandalism on June 2. (Courtesy Amy Herman)