Shuttered Colfax hospital haunted — by trespassers

COLFAX — A dozen University of Idaho students were arrested inside a closed hospital early Monday, telling law enforcement officers they had heard it was a haunted insane asylum.

The students were arrested for investigation of trespassing after Whitman County sheriff's deputies found them roaming the halls of the closed St. Ignatius Manor Hospital, which was not a mental hospital. They were released after making a court appearance in Colfax.

"For people to go there late at night when it's completely dark, someone could get hurt," Colfax Police Officer Bryce Nebe said.

In fact, a 14-year-old boy was injured on the hospital grounds last month when he fell into a well, falling 40 feet before stopping his descent by bracing himself against the brick shaft.

The hospital was shut down several years ago and is plagued by trespassers, Nebe said. He described the inside as full of broken glass, moldy and rotting floors and walls and hallways littered with appliances and other materials.

The arrested students were all 18 or 19 years old.

"There are rumors of hauntings so people think it's fun to go in and play," said Whitman County sheriff's Sgt. Jodie Hamilton.

Officers caught the students while responding to reports from nearby residents of flashlights throughout the building.