Burglary suspect facing more charges

SANDPOINT — Charges are slowly starting to accrue against a Bonner County man thought to be responsible for a slew of break-ins and burglaries that have vexed Sagle landowners for months.

Spencer Thomas James was charged with grand theft for allegedly raiding a Sky Meadow Drive vacation residence in July and possessing a stolen pop-up camp trailer he was living in off of Eureka Road the same month, court records show.

James, 31, made another initial appearance in Bonner County Magistrate Court on Monday. Judge Tera Harden set James’ bail on the new charges at $25,000 and appointed a public defender to represent him. He was already being held on bail in a previous theft case in which he was accused of stealing a trove of equipment from a Pend Oreille Valley Network tower site which served Bottle Bay area residents.

In addition to the equipment taken in the POVN heist, the pop-up camp trailer James was using to squat on an undeveloped piece of property also held a significant amount of tools, property and items which appeared to be taken during burglaries across Sagle over a five-month period.

It turns out the trailer was boosted from a home construction site off Porcupine Drive, a route which is gated and requires a security access code. However, landowners told investigators that the security measure was likely bypassed by all-terrain vehicle trails which connect to other public county roads, according to court documents.

In the Sky Meadow break-in, a window was breached and solar power equipment was taken, in addition to tool sets and artwork. After being unable to defeat a door to a shed on the property, a hole was cut in fiber cement lap siding cladding the structure, although the opening appeared to be too small to fit an adult, a probable cause affidavit said. It was unclear if anything was taken from the shed, however.

A preliminary hearing on the new charges is set for Aug. 28.

Keith Kinnaird can be reached by email at kkinnaird@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow him on Twitter @KeithDailyBee.