Man held on $200K bail after alleged auto burglary
KAYE THORNBRUGH | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year, 7 months 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
St. Maries family sentenced in poaching case
Father, son imprisoned for conspiracy to hide evidence
A judge sentenced a St. Maries family convicted of conspiring to hide evidence of an illegal kill, sending a father and son to prison and placing a third family member on probation without hunting privileges.
North Idaho College enrollment grows
Enrollment could eclipse 2019 numbers
Total enrollment at North Idaho College increased 6.2% over last year, according to data provided by NIC, marking seven straight semesters of growth.
Kootenai County, NIC candidates file for Nov. 3 election
The deadline to file for the Nov. 3 general election has passed.