Marina burglar admits guilt

SANDPOINT — A Sandpoint teen implicated in a heist at Sandpoint Marina last summer admitted guilt on Tuesday.

Matthew Abeyta made the admission prior to an adjudicatory hearing in Bonner County Juvenile Court. The hearing is the equivalent of a bench trial in adult court.

Abeyta, 15, is scheduled to be sentenced on a felony burglary charge and a misdemeanor theft charge on Feb. 18. He is free on his own recognizance.

Abeyta was identified as a suspect in a July 24 burglary through a still image isolated from surveillance video camera footage, according to Sandpoint Police reports.

Abeyta told police Jesse James Tompkins was also involved in the break-in, but neither suspect would identify other accomplices who were also seen in the video footage.

Marina officials said as many 90 boats at the marina were boarded and searched last summer, with thieves making off with electronic devices and other easily concealed items.

The string of break-ins at the marina prompted officers to post up in the Bonner County Prosecutor’s Office, which overlooks Sand Creek, with night-vision equipment in an attempt to catch the suspects, according to court documents.

Tompkins, 16, admitted his involvement in the July 24 incident and was ordered to serve at least 16 days in jail.

A prior news report in the case prompted Abeyta’s court-appointed defense counsel to move for a gag order to thwart further coverage of the case.

Public Defender Janet Whitney argued in a Dec. 26 hearing that the reporting was inappropriate and subjected Abeyta to harassment by peers, court records show. Deputy Prosecutor Valerie Fenton countered that the community had a right to know about the case and suggested Abeyta’s tormentors should perhaps be prosecuted.

Judge Lori Meulenberg was critical of the news account, but ultimately denied the motion for a gag order, court records indicate.