Charges are added in theft, eluding case

SANDPOINT — Additional criminal charges are being filed against a Sandpoint man who allegedly went on a singlehanded crime spree that ended in a crash in the Cabinet Mountains.

John William Grimes IV is already facing charges for allegedly stealing a motorcycle and leading law enforcement on a high-speed chase on Aug. 16. Bonner County Senior Deputy Prosecutor Daniel Rodriguez has added charges of unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, driving a vehicle without the owner’s consent, burglary and misdemeanor theft, court records show.

Grimes, 36, is accused of making off with a Ford Fusion rental car the day before the chase and ditching it down an embankment in the 7200 block of Sunnyside Road by placing a rock on the accelerator pedal, according to a Ponderay Police probable cause affidavit.

The mid-size sedan suffered $12,000 in damages, according to the affidavit.

On the same day as the chase, Grimes allegedly entered Walmart, selected more than $100 worth of merchandise and secreted it out of the store in a pilfered diaper bag, court documents allege. A Smith & Wesson M&P 15 semiautomatic rifle was found in the trunk of the wrecked Ford. Grimes is barred from possessing firearms due to multiple convictions in California and New Hampshire for eluding, burglary, armed robbery and arson, court records indicate.

Grimes was arrested after crashing BMW sport bike reported stolen in Sandpoint in the 900 block of Trapper Creek Road.

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