Burglary suspect is arrested

SANDPOINT — A Sandpoint man was arrested Thursday for allegedly burglarizing his former place of employment.

Jay Roger Jones is charged with burglary and petit theft. He made an initial appearance in Bonner County Magistrate Court via video link with the jail.

Judge Lori Meulenberg set Jones’ bail at $10,000 and appointed a public defender to represent him, court records indicate.

An office manager at North Idaho Flood & Fire in Sagle reported the break-in on Thursday. A locked cabinet was breached and $700 was missing, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Jones, 39, emerged as a suspect because of video surveillance equipment in the home restoration business, court records show. The video showed a man entering the business shortly before 5 a.m. and then leaving.

The subject returned about a half an hour later, presumably to make sure a silent alarm was not activated during the break-in, court records indicate. Jones appeared to be startled upon discovering the surveillance camera and left the frame, but returned wearing different clothes. Investigators believe Jones was hunting unsuccessfully for the device the video footage was stored on, according to court documents.

Although the footage was blurry, employees identified the subject as Jones because of his distinctive beard.

Jones was confronted about the break-in and said he was only at the business to change clothes. He allegedly admitted to possessing some of the stolen money. A little over a hundred dollars was found in Jones’ wallet, the affidavit said. Jones said he spent some of the money on food, but declined to say what the remaining proceeds were put toward, according to court documents.

A preliminary hearing is set for Sept. 7.