Man faces charges over construction vehicle theft

A Boundary County man has been charged with grand theft in connection to the July 18 theft of a D8-T Caterpillar.

Allen Funkhouser, a Boundary County resident, is scheduled to appear before First District Judge Tera Harden on Aug. 24.

The charges stem from an early morning incident in which Idaho State Police Cpl. Shane Grady responded to a report of a stolen dozer southbound on U.S. 95 near Homestead Road just before the Bonner-Kootenai county line.

According to court documents, Trixie Edwards reported the stolen dozer, stating the vehicle was traveling southbound in the 452000 block of U.S. 95. Grady activated his emergency lights and stopped in front of the vehicle, blocking the southbound lane.

In court documents, Grady testified that as soon as he blocked the dozer, Funkhouser stopped and put his hands up, and obeyed all of his commands.

When he questioned Funkhouser after handcuffing him, the trooper said Funkhouser told him that he had cut several trees the previous night near the railroad tracks.

According to court documents, Funkhouser told Grady the “Chinese National Aztec Army” rose from the dead and attempted to make him a king, saying they planned to kill him.

“Funkhouser told me he took the cat to find the code in the machine to send the Chinese nationals back,” Grady testified.

The trooper said Funkhouser seemed nervous and was visibly shaking as he explained his story and did no show any signs of impairment. In addition, no contraband was found in Funkhouser’s truck, which was parked parked near milepost 451.

Foreman Aaron Gilbert of M.A. DeAtely Constructions said Funkhouser was not an employee nor was he authorized to use the $500,000 cat.

Damages are still being assessed in the construction area, Gilbert used the dozer to grade a new road section on U.S. 95. He said the construction company plans to charge Funkhouser in connection to those damages.