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SANDPOINT — A Bonner County man who led multiple law enforcement agencies on a high speed pursuit in 2020 after burglarizing two businesses and his family residence will serve eight years for the seven charges against him.

Justin Morley, 19, remains in custody with the Idaho Department of Corrections after Monday’s sentencing. His sentence will begin with one year in a state rehabilitation facility.

Six of the seven charges against Morley came from a series of events taking place in the early morning of Nov. 4, 2020. Morley began by burglarizing many different vehicles in the Walmart parking lot in Ponderay, according to Walmart’s security camera footage. He then stole a Ford Escort from the parking lot and drove to his family’s house where he was living at the time. He proceeded to take multiple items from the house, including rifles, handguns, and their dog, “Buddy.” Then, Morley drove to Pack River Store where he broke multiple windows in order to get to the chips, beer, and multiple packs of cigarettes he took with him. He also attempted to take money from the store’s cash register by shooting it with a handgun.

Morley was nowhere to be found when Bonner County Sheriff’s deputies arrived at the store. Deputies were in the process of clearing the scene when two others arrived, looking for Morley.

While deputies were clearing the area, law enforcement from five different agencies were engaging in a high-speed pursuit with Morley — a chase that led them into Kootenai County.

The pursuit started at Northwest Autobody in Ponderay when the security system alerted sheriff’s deputies to the break-in. Deputies saw a vehicle matching the description of the stolen Ford Escort parked in front of the building next to a white pickup truck. Getting into the pickup, Morley sped away from deputies in reverse. Morley ignored lights and sirens signaling him to stop. The resulting chase saw speeds of up to 106 mph. Morley avoided spike strips and PIT maneuvers, a tactical move that law enforcement uses to disrupt a moving vehicle by hitting a corner of the rear bumper, causing it to spin out and stop.

The pursuit lasted for approximately 33 miles, eventually ending with a successful PIT maneuver by a Sheriff’s deputy near Athol on U.S. 95.

After being apprehended without incident, Morley admitted to all the burglaries with the exception of the cars in the Walmart parking lot.

The items found in the stolen vehicles included rifles, handguns, alcohol, marijuana, paraphernalia, cigarettes, beer, chips, and Buddy. Law enforcement, having no way to confirm who Buddy belonged to, was given over to Better Together Animal Alliance in Ponderay. It is unknown if the family was able to regain custody of Buddy.

Morley was charged in Bonner County with six counts of burglary, a count of grand theft of firearms, two counts of grand theft for the stolen vehicles, and a count of attempting to elude a peace officer.

In Kootenai County, Morley was charged with a count of grand theft, a count of attempting to elude a peace officer, a count of possession of a controlled substance, and a count of possession of paraphernalia.

Of the 14 charges, eight were dropped. In addition to those, Morley was also sentenced for an additional charge of injury to a child from a separate case stemming from events in 2019.

In November 2019, when Morley was 18, he forced himself on a teen victim. Morley admitted to detectives that he ignored the victim when she repeatedly told him to stop. In a written statement to law enforcement, the victim said Morley also forced her to perform oral sex more than once the month prior.

Detectives later interviewed Morley, he said that he was sorry and was “willing to take what’s coming.”

Morley was originally charged with one count of lewd conduct, which was later dropped, and one count of injury to a child.

Attendance at Morley’s sentencing on Monday was stark. In attendance were four members of Morley’s immediate family and the mother of the victim.

Even though Morley originally pleaded not guilty. In April of this year, he signed a plea agreement confessing to seven of the 16 charges in exchange for dropping the remaining nine.

“I realize what I did was wrong in every single type of way,” said Morley an hour into the sentencing hearing. “I really can’t say that I’m sorry enough. I know I need help. If the courts will allow me to get help, I can prove that I can be a good member of society. This is not what I want for my life.”

Morley has no prior criminal history.

“There’s a lot of damage that you’ll have to take responsibility for,” First District Judge Barbara Buchanan said. “It appears that you did have some kind of psychotic break.”

While remarking on the burglaries and pursuit from 2020, she said they “really were crimes of desperation” and expressed concern over Morley’s wellbeing if he were to be sent to a traditional correctional facility.

Shortly after the exchange, Judge Buchanan sentenced Morley for three counts of burglary, two counts of grand theft, a count of eluding a peace officer, and a count of injury to a child.

All sentences will run concurrently. Morley received a three- to eight-year sentence, the first year to be served in a state rehabilitation facility. Ninety days were credited to his sentence. A restitution hearing was scheduled for a later date because of the large amount of stolen and damaged property from the events in 2020.

Legal representation on both sides, as well as Buchanan, agreed that most of these crimes were the result of declining mental health. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, one in four Idahoans are struggling with their mental health. Only half of them seek help according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration There are resources available for those who wish to educate themselves, get involved, or reach out for help. Text “NAMI” or “MHA” to 741741 or call 911 in a crisis. Other information and resources can be found at namiidaho.org, rtor.org, and samhsa.gov.