Trooper facing felony charges in Bonner County

SANDPOINT — A decorated Idaho State Police trooper is facing felony charges in Bonner County for grossly misrepresenting the purchase price of a special edition Harley-Davidson motorcycle he purchased in Oregon.

Daniel Charles Howard is charged with forgery, title fraud and grand theft.

Howard, a 48-year-old Athol resident, is free on his own recognizance while the case is pending. A preliminary hearing in magistrate court is set for Wednesday.

Howard allegedly registered the motorcycle with the Bonner County Assessor’s Office in August 2013. He’s accused of presenting a handwritten receipt indicating he purchased the Electra Glide Ultra Classic peace officer-edition motorcycle for $500.

The base price for that model is more than $20,000, according to court documents.

Howard was in uniform and on duty when he registered the bike, court records indicate. At the time, he was assigned to patrol the U.S. Highway 95 widening project between Garwood and Sagle, according to employment records obtained by investigators.

Kootenai County sheriff’s deputies executed a search warrant at Howard’s home in an unrelated investigation in December 2013 and discovered the motorcycle, in addition to the handwritten bill of sale.

Investigators contacted the seller, a retired police officer, in Hood River, Ore. He stated that he sold the bike to Howard for $19,000, but did not put the amount of the sale in the handwritten receipt, according to court documents.

It’s alleged that Howard inserted the bogus sale amount on the receipt after the purchase. As a result, the taxes he paid amounted to $30, which chiseled the state out of more than $1,000 of tax revenue it should have received.

Bonner County Prosecutor Louis Marshall moved for the appointment of a special prosecutor because a county employee unwittingly processed the title application. Marshall’s office sought to avoid any appearance of impropriety or an improper exercise of discretionary powers, court documents show.

The Kootenai County Prosecutor’s Office has since been appointed to handle the case.

Howard was hired by Idaho State Police in 1994 and his annual salary in 2011 was $62,500, according to a database of state employee salaries compiled by The Idaho Statesman.

The state police website shows Howard received the department’s Silver Star in 1995 and 2000. The Silver Star is the second-highest accolade a sworn trooper can receive for heroism in the face of danger.

State police spokeswoman Teresa Baker released a statement on Thursday indicating that Howard was placed on paid leave amid an internal investigation last year.

Howard was placed on unpaid leave when the charges were filed in April and faces termination by ISP if convicted, the statement said.

Howard’s defense counsel, Chris Bugbee, said his client has cooperated with investigators, but reserved comment for the time being.

“While we would like to comment about this matter, this is not the appropriate time to do so. Mr. Howard maintains his innocence. We are confident that this matter will be resolved favorably to him as this case progresses,” Bugbee said in a statement released on Thursday.

Howard also faces multiple charges in Kootenai County, including possessing more than 17,000 rounds of ISP ammunition. He is charged with felony possession of stolen property, in addition to misdemeanor charges of petty theft and possession of white-tailed deer without a tag.

According to an investigative narrative written by Kootenai County sheriff’s Det. Jerry Northrop, after the initial search of the home detectives obtained a warrant to seize the ammunition. However, when they returned to the home only 85 rounds were recovered.

A private investigator hired by Howard’s attorney brought several of the unrecovered boxes of ammunition to the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office. But, according to the narrative, 13,980 rounds of ammunition, with an approximate value of $5,593.82, is still missing.

During the search of Howard’s home, detectives also discovered the carcass of a white-tailed deer. Howard reportedly told investigators that he had tags for the deer but failed to properly attach and validate it when he brought it back to his home.

A preliminary hearing in the Kootenai County case is set for Thursday in Coeur d’Alene.

• Coeur d’Alene Press Reporter Keith Cousins contributed to this report.