Detectives recover stolen property

SANDPOINT — Bonner County sheriff’s detectives have recovered as much as $40,000 in property taken in a recent rash of burglaries.

Sheriff’s Det. Gary Johnston said a young man arrested on an unrelated sex offense possessed some of the stolen property.

“The traffic stop led to stolen property, which led to more stolen property and it kind of snowballed from there,” said Johnston.

No arrests have been made yet in connection with the burglaries, although Johnston said the cases remain under investigation.

Kai Richard Leach was arrested Tuesday on a charge of sexual abuse of a minor under the age of 16.

He remains held at the Bonner County Jail in lieu of $50,000 bail.

A preliminary hearing on the felony offense is set for Oct. 17 in Bonner County Magistrate Court. A public defender has been appointed to represent Leach, who is forbidden from contacting the alleged victim in the case.

Leach, 18, is accused of having sex with a 14-year-old girl in Bonner County in September. His case file is devoid of any further details about the alleged misconduct.

Johnston said the burglaries were scattered around the county.

A trove of computer equipment stolen from Cedar Hills Church in Kootenai was recovered. The rest of the swag, which included firearms, power tools, electronics and all-terrain vehicles, was taken in residential burglaries.