PONDERAY — Criminal charges are accruing against a Hayden man who stole a half-dozen rings from a jewelry store at the Bonner Mall in January.

Michael Allen Gregory Pritchard faces grand theft and burglary charges in Bonner County and a possession of stolen property charge in Kootenai County in connection with the Jan. 2 theft at Sayers Jewelers. His bail is set at $50,000 in the Bonner County case, court records show.

Pritchard, 24, is accused of stealing six diamond engagement rings from the store and fleeing on foot. However, a Ponderay Police Department post to Facebook led to Pritchard’s apprehension at a Hayden motel a day after the heist, according to court documents. Ponderay Police posted a surveillance photo of the suspect.

Pritchard initially denied being in Bonner County on the day of the theft, but later admitted that he committed the theft and directed Kootenai County sheriff’s deputies to a Top Ramen box which held the six rings, a deputy’s report said. Pritchard said he was about to become homeless and that the rings appeared to be a solution to all his problems, the report said.

Pritchard’s motel room also held methamphetamine drug paraphernalia, according to the report.

The value of the rings was $14,205, according to a Ponderay Police affidavit.

Pritchard was being held at the Kootenai County jail on the possession of stolen property charge before being transferred to Bonner County to answer to the burglary and grand theft charges. Burglary is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, while grand theft is punishable by up to 14 years in prison, according to Idaho Code.

A preliminary hearing in the Bonner County case is scheduled for March 11.

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