Suspect arrested for costly thefts

SANDPOINT — A Sandpoint man is facing felony charges for stealing more than $20,000 worth of copper wire and other recyclable materials from two businesses last fall and summer.

Ronnie Ray McFadden is charged with burglary and grand theft. He made an initial court appearance Friday via video feed from the Bonner County Jail.

Judge Debra Heise sustained McFadden’s $50,000 bail and appointed a public defender to represent him, court records show. A preliminary hearing is pending.

McFadden, 39, is accused of breaching a locked gate at a Lake Pre-Mix Concrete gravel pit in Sagle last November and making off with $19,700 worth of copper wire, connectors and other materials, according to sheriff’s deputies reports.

McFadden is further accused of burglarizing a dump truck at Peck Landscaping in Sagle last August and stealing four commercial-grade batteries valued at $1,360.

It was not entirely clear in court records how they zeroed in on McFadden as a suspect, although a fuse panel cover found at the scene of the Lake Pre-Mix heist matched the make and model of a vehicle registered to McFadden. Deputies interviewed McFadden and he allegedly confessed to stealing materials that he could exchange for money at area recycling outfits.

McFadden, according to court documents, said he resorted to scrapping thefts after losing his job a year ago.