Police dismiss burglary charge

SANDPOINT — A Bonner County man accused of breaking into The Daily Bee offices last month apparently passed a polygraph examination.

The burglary case against Harold Lee Anderson was dismissed, 1st District Court documents show.

Anderson, 32, was charged with the felony after Sandpoint Police officers found him outside the building in the early-morning hours of Dec. 9, 2010. Two witnesses told police Anderson, a former contractor who used to deliver newspapers, bragged of stealing money from the paper to supplement his income by as much as $800 a month, according to court documents.

The witnesses who were with Anderson on the date in question said he put newspaper delivery bags over his hands and defeated a door lock to gain access to the building. Anderson denied entering the building when he was confronted by officers.

Anderson was administered a polygraph exam on Jan. 13. Five days later, Bonner County Deputy Prosecutor Larry Goins and Chief Deputy Public Defender Janet Whitney moved jointly to dismiss the case.

The attorneys filed the motion “on grounds insufficient evidence exists in support of probable cause that a crime was committed and Defendant committed the crime,” the stipulated motion said.

Judge Barbara Buchanan granted the motion the same day it was filed. The case was dismissed without prejudice, which means the state can resume prosecution if further evidence emerges.

SANDPOINT — A Bonner County man accused of breaking into The Daily Bee offices last month apparently passed a polygraph examination.

The burglary case against Harold Lee Anderson was dismissed, 1st District Court documents show.

Anderson, 32, was charged with the felony after Sandpoint Police officers found him outside the building in the early-morning hours of Dec. 9, 2010. Two witnesses told police Anderson, a former contractor who used to deliver newspapers, bragged of stealing money from the paper to supplement his income by as much as $800 a month, according to court documents.

The witnesses who were with Anderson on the date in question said he put newspaper delivery bags over his hands and defeated a door lock to gain access to the building. Anderson denied entering the building when he was confronted by officers.

Anderson was administered a polygraph exam on Jan. 13. Five days later, Bonner County Deputy Prosecutor Larry Goins and Chief Deputy Public Defender Janet Whitney moved jointly to dismiss the case.

The attorneys filed the motion “on grounds insufficient evidence exists in support of probable cause that a crime was committed and Defendant committed the crime,” the stipulated motion said.

Judge Barbara Buchanan granted the motion the same day it was filed. The case was dismissed without prejudice, which means the state can resume prosecution if further evidence emerges.