Man held on $200K bail after alleged auto burglary
KAYE THORNBRUGH | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 11 months, 1 week AGO
Kaye Thornbrugh is a second-generation Kootenai County resident who has been with the Coeur d’Alene Press for six years. She primarily covers Kootenai County’s government, as well as law enforcement, the legal system and North Idaho College. | January 15, 2025 1:00 AM
COEUR d’ALENE — A man who allegedly stole a wallet out of an unlocked car while wanted for multiple crimes in another state is being held on $200,000 bail.
Wesley J. Decker, 63, of Thornton, Colo., is charged with burglary, a felony punishable by a minimum of one year in prison and a maximum of 10 years in prison.
The charges stem from Jan. 8, when Coeur d’Alene police responded to a report of an auto burglary. A woman told police that a man, later identified as Decker, had taken a wallet out of her unlocked car, which was parked in the lot outside Candlelight Christian Fellowship on Pioneer Drive.
Security footage showed Decker enter the woman’s vehicle and take an item, according to court records.
When contacted by police, Decker allegedly admitted to stealing the wallet from the woman’s car. He said he used $22 in cash to buy gas and then discarded the wallet, which was later found in Hayden and returned to the owner, according to court records.
Police arrested Decker on Saturday.
Investigators learned that Decker is a sex offender with “an extensive criminal history for crimes including rape, burglary, dangerous drugs, identity theft and failing to register as a sex offender,” the Coeur d’Alene Police Department said in a news release.
At the time of his arrest in Coeur d’Alene, court records indicated Decker was wanted in Wyoming for allegedly stealing a wallet in December 2024 and a pocketknife in early January.
In court Monday, First District Judge John Cafferty ordered that Decker be held on $200,000 bail.
ARTICLES BY KAYE THORNBRUGH
North Idaho ski areas open after slow start
Amid challenges like warm temperatures and strong winds that caused power outages across the region, all three ski areas in North Idaho are open, though operations are limited in some cases.
BLM: Migrating eagle population peaked early this year
The annual migration of bald eagles to Lake Coeur d’Alene to feed on spawning kokanee is past its peak, according to the Bureau of Land Management.
Idaho town hall battery trial ends in mixed verdict
Trouette convicted on some battery charges, acquitted on others
Trouette convicted on some battery charges, acquitted on others