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Elmira robbery suspect accused of violating probation

KEITH KINNAIRD | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 6 years, 4 months AGO
by KEITH KINNAIRD
News Editor | September 13, 2018 1:00 AM

SANDPOINT — An unwitting player in a notorious home-invasion robbery in Elmira has run afoul of the terms of his probation, according to court documents.

Jonathan Lee Comstock was charged with being an after-the-fact accessory to the 2014 incident by serving as the wheel man in the robbery in which the 57-year-old victim suffered a grazing gunshot wound to the face. Comstock, who said he was unaware of his passengers’ intentions, was given a suspended two- to five-year prison term for his involvement in the robbery and placed on probation, but subsequently accrued a felony charge for engaging in a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old when he was 22 years old.

Comstock was charged with lewd conduct, but pleaded guilty to statutory rape and drew a three- to 15-year prison term. Jurisdiction was retained, however, which qualified Comstock for release onto probation after serving up to a year in prison, according to court documents.

Idaho Department of Correction officials conducted a home visit at Comstock’s Bonner County home on Tuesday to monitor his compliance with his probation conditions. A smartphone in Comstock’s possession indicated he was having unapproved contact with minors, engaged in unapproved relationships and remained in contact with the alleged victim in his rape case, all of which were contrary to the terms of his community release, court records indicate.

Comstock, now 26, was arrested and an admit/deny hearing on the alleged probation violations is set for Oct. 1 in 1st District Court.

The alleged shooter in the home-invasion robbery, Joseph Edward Cleveland, pleaded guilty to attempted burglary and is serving a 15-year sentence at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution in Kuna. Cleveland, 23, becomes eligible for parole in March 2019, according to IDOC’s website.

Accomplice Joseph Venicil Kluck, who pleaded guilty to robbery is serving a nine-year term at the Idaho State Correctional Center, which is also located in Kuna. IDOC’s website does not specify when Kluck, 27, is eligible for parole, although his sentence-satisfaction date is in March 2024.

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

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