Capone's burglary, theft suspect arrested

By BRIAN WALKER

Staff Writer

POST FALLS — A 19-year-old Coeur d'Alene man who was arrested after allegedly burglarizing Capone's Pub and Grill in Post Falls early Sunday morning faces three additional charges.

Christopher N. Guinasso was being held at the Kootenai County jail on Tuesday for burglary, grand theft, possession of drug paraphernalia and malicious injury to property.

"I broke into a place, and I got caught," Guinasso told police. "I can't give you the details. I really, truthfully can't. I don't remember how I got in."

An officer told Guinasso he was caught on video surveillance.

"How did I look on that by the way?" Guinasso said in the police report.

The officer told Guinasso it appeared he didn't know what to touch first.

"Chris laughed and said, 'Cause I probably didn't, to be honest,'" the report states.

Guinasso was charged with grand theft for allegedly possession a stolen Chevy Avalanche. He admitted to police that he had been driving the vehicle, but denied stealing it.

The registered owner of the vehicle told police that it was supposed to be at an auto repair shop in Athol. The owner said he didn't know who Guinasso was.

Officers were notified of an alarm at Capone's, 315 N. Ross Point Road, at 1:41 a.m.

The first officer on scene spotted Guinasso behaving erratically in a field just east of Capone's near Jones Chevron. Guinasso was detained after a backup officer arrived.

Further investigation revealed that an office window at Capone's had been broken and that Guinasso had fresh blood on his hands and pants.

A knife matching the one that Guinasso told police was in his pants was found outside the broken window along with a rock.

A passerby informed police of an unoccupied, suspicious vehicle at the Chevron that had been sitting there with a nozzle in its fuel tank.

Guinasso, who has a history of theft, said he had begun filling the vehicle and that a male friend of his fled the station. However, video surveillance showed that only one person exited the vehicle. A wallet with Guinasso's identification was found inside the Avalanche.

The Capone's video revealed an Avalanche pulling into the parking lot and a male matching Guinasso's clothing and facial features inside the pub.

A K9 unit responded to determine there were no other suspects inside Capone's. Broken beer bottles were found on the floor behind the bar along with various blood spots.

The report does not say if any items were missing from the business.