Suspect faces felony charges after manhunt
SANDPOINT — A homeless Washington state man accused of going on an interstate crime spree last week was ordered held Monday in lieu of $60,000 bail.
Brian Smiley Solorio is charged with grand theft by possession of stolen property and felony-level counts of eluding and vandalism.
Solorio made an initial court appearance via video link from the Bonner County Jail. Bonner County Magistrate Court Judge Debra Heise sustained Solorio’s $60,000 bail and appointed a public defender to represent him.
The episode began unfolding on Friday morning, when Solorio turned up at timberland owned by the Inland Empire Paper Co. in a fuel truck. The man stated he was making a delivery to the site off Highway 41, according to a probable cause affidavit.
The paper company’s security detail confirmed no delivery was scheduled and began looking for the truck. At around 10:30 a.m., a neighboring landowner reported that the truck damaged a paper company gate, drove through his barbwire fence and was driving in circles in a field.
The truck was reportedly painted with graffiti and the declaration “I hate people.”
A security official contacted Solorio, who stated he became lost in the woods and was attacked by some guys who painted the truck. Spirit Lake Police officers arrived and determined that the Ford flatbed was reported stolen from the tarmac at Felts Field in Spokane earlier that morning.
Solorio, who had orange paint on his face and arms, refused officers’ commands and drove off. After a brief pursuit, Solorio stopped, put the vehicle into reverse and rammed the driver’s side of Spirit Lake Chief Keith Hutcheson’s Dodge Magnum, the affidavit said.
Solorio, 41, managed to escape after going off-road. Bonner County deputies unsuccessfully searched for Solorio in a sport utility vehicle and then on foot.
A multi-agency manhunt ensued. It ended on Friday night, when another Paisley Road landowner reported that he was having a campfire on his property and Solorio “appeared out of nowhere.” He was taken into custody without further incident, according to the affidavit.
Solorio said he was unemployed, homeless and dependent on Social Security benefits.
“I’m trying to get my medications,” he said, adding the lack of them was likely the reason for his behavior on Friday.