Man charged in burglary case

SANDPOINT — A man is facing burglary charges after police said he took a generator from a Ponderay box store.

Robert Ravenscroft, 53, was arrested in late March on a charge of felony burglary after Ponderay Police say he took a Black Diamond generator worth about $700 from North 40 in Ponderay in early March.

Ponderay Police said they were contacted March 18 by North 40’s loss prevention specialist Dan Cole, who said a male had taken a generator from the Ponderay store. He identified Ravenscroft as a potential suspect based on similar cases, according to court documents.

Ravenscroft was contacted by Sgt. Brian Koch of the Ponderay Police Department about a possible theft at The Home Depot. According to court documents, Ravenscroft told the officer that he went inside the store specifically to “steal an item that he could sell,” according to the documents.

Koch later contacted Ravenscroft and arrested him on a felony burglary charge for the alleged theft of the generator at North 40. In court records, Koch said he watched the store’s security footage during which time he identified Ravenscroft as the suspect.

“There is one point in which he was not wearing a protective mask and was easily identifiable,” he said in the affidavit.

Ravenscroft has previous convictions in Bonner County for felony burglary and possession of a controlled substance. He also has prior convictions in Kootenai and Spokane counties.

Reports of burglary in Bonner County increased from 92 in 2020 to 102 in 2021, according to the state of Idaho’s annual crime report. In 2020, only 14 led to an arrest. In 2021, 19 of the 102 burglaries reported led to arrests.