Man arrested on grand theft charges

A 38-year-old man has been arrested on charges of grand theft after deputies say he stole more than $1,000 worth of items from a former employer.

Bonner County Sheriff’s deputies received a call July 15 regarding an individual who said they believed a former employee may have stolen equipment from a job site. According to the probable cause affidavit, the employer had fired Steven Asfalg but a few days later allegedly saw Asfalg at one of their current job sites. A little while later, the individual noticed that a 40 amp power cable as well as a “spider box” were missing, according to court records.

According to the probable cause affidavit, the individual went to Asfalg’s residence and peered inside the windows of his car. There, lying partially under a blanket, allegedly was the power cable, court records said. The individual called the sheriff’s office and told deputies he believed the spider box may have already been sold.

When deputies made contact with Asfalg, he allegedly admitted to stealing the items because he was not in a good mental place and needed the money, according to court records.

“He advised he had … exchanged the spider box at a pawn shop for $40 in cash,” a deputy wrote in the probable cause affidavit.

Asfalg allegedly offered to go back to the pawn shop and pay to buy back the spider box, but deputies were able to retrieve it themselves. Both items were returned to the owner.

Since the total cost of the items was roughly $1,200, Asfalg was arrested on one count of grand theft. A bail amount has not been set and his preliminary hearing will be held July 26.