Two arrested in burglaries
A burglary ring whose victims included a U.S. customs agent has been shut down after detectives happened onto the prime suspects in a Spokane-area pawn shop, authorities said.
More than $10,000 worth of electronics and other items were stolen during the burglary spree, most of which has been recovered, including a federal law enforcement badge and pistol, according to the Pend Oreille County Sheriff’s Office. Two men are in custody and facing burglary charges in connection with the case: Matthew H. McFall, 22, of Priest River, and 20-year-old Benjamin “London” G. Qureshi.
On Friday, sheriff’s detectives were at Pawn 1 on North Division Street in Spokane, where the burglars had earlier unloaded some of the stolen jewelry, when the two suspects walked through the front door.
“We’re just standing there recovering property and the manager looks up and says, ‘Hey, there’s the guy who pawned the property,’ ” said Pend Oreille County sheriff’s Sgt. Alan Botzheim.
Both men reportedly confessed to burglaries in Pend Oreille and Spokane counties, and across the state line in Bonner County, Botzheim said. The two were in the Pend Oreille County Jail on Wednesday on charges of residential burglary and first-degree theft. McFall is also charged with trafficking in stolen property.
The men told detectives they had staked out high-end homes around North Idaho, Pend Oreille County and the Spokane area, looking for unoccupied ones with unlocked doors.
“These guys were looking for easy targets,” Botzheim said. “They’re stealing Christmas presents, even.”
The two Dec. 12 home burglaries near the Pend Oreille River happened just eight miles from each other. On Dec. 13, Pend Oreille County detectives got a report of two young men knocking on a door and asking for someone who didn’t live there when the homeowner answered.
During questioning, McFall told detectives how the two had staked out a home only to find it occupied, then got help from the homeowner after their getaway car became stuck in the snowy driveway.
“He (the homeowner) just thought he was being a good Samaritan and helping out these people and actually, these were burglars,” Botzheim said.
Botzheim said the incident underscores the need to lock your doors, no matter where you live.
“Pend Oreille County is a pretty safe community. We don’t always lock our doors, but it just reinforces the fact that maybe we should,” he said.