Shoplifter facing felony charges

PONDERAY — A Sandpoint woman is facing a suite of felony and misdemeanor charges for a string of thefts from Walmart.

Lorrie Lynn Buck is charged with one count of grand theft, six counts of burglary and 10 counts of misdemeanor theft.

Buck, 51, was arrested on a warrant on Thursday and made an initial appearance in Bonner County Magistrate Court on Friday via videoconferencing with the jail.

Judge Lori Meulenberg appointed a public defender and set bail at $1,000 on the felony charges, court records show.

Buck, a Ponderay Police affidavit alleges, repeatedly entered Walmart in order to commit the thefts. One theft involved taking a $190 Keurig coffee maker from a store shelf and presenting it for return without a receipt, the affidavit said. Most of the thefts involved failing to scan certain pieces of merchandise in the store’s self-checkout aisle, the affidavit said.

The total value of the stolen or fraudulently returned merchandise amounted to $512, well below the $1,000 threshold for a felony theft charge. However, the offense was elevated to the felony level because a tight cluster of thefts — four within three days — constituted a “criminal episode” under Idaho Code.

The alleged thefts occurred between March 27 and April 14. In one instance, Buck allegedly entered the store three times in one day to commit theft, the affidavit alleges.

A preliminary hearing on the felony charges is scheduled for Sept. 11.

Burglary is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, while grand theft and misdemeanor theft are punishable by up to 14 years and one year, respectively.

Keith Kinnaird can be reached by email at kkinnaird@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow him on Twitter @KeithDailyBee.