Hearing postponed in escape case

SANDPOINT — A preliminary hearing was postponed Wednesday for a Bonner County man who escaped from an Idaho State Police trooper after being arrested on suspicion of unlawful possession of a firearm.

The hearing to determine if Leland Elroy Dunnagan should be tried for felony escape and illegally possessing weaponry has been reset for June 16. Bonner County Deputy Prosecutor Roger Hanlon moved for a continuance in order to further investigate the matter, according to court documents.

Dunnagan remains free on his own recognizance while the case is pending.

Dunnagan, 52, was arrested at his Rapid Lightning home on March 13, but escaped from the back of Trooper Jeff Jayne’s unlocked patrol vehicle while handcuffed.

Dunnagan’s older brother, Allen Lee Dunnagan Sr., was later arrested for harboring a fugitive, but the charge was dismissed after his younger brother turned himself in at the courthouse on April 27, court documents indicate.

A $100,000 warrant for Leland Dunnagan’s arrest was quashed after he agreed to appear at the courthouse and face the charges against him.

On Wednesday, defense counsel Serra Woods turned over the handcuffs her client was wearing when he fled. They appeared to be undamaged and it’s believed Dunnagan, who has a slight build, managed to slip out of them.

Leland Dunnagan was being questioned in connection with a theft investigation involving his older brother and nephew when Jayne saw what appeared to be firearms in his residence, according to court documents.

Leland Dunnagan was barred from possessing weapons due to a rape conviction in Twin Falls County 20 years ago.