Athol man gets 19 years for crime spree
COEUR d'ALENE - A 38-year-old Athol man will spend up to 19 years in prison for six felonies committed in Kootenai County, including attempting to manufacture methamphetamine.
Michael P. James was sentenced earlier this week by 1st District Court Judge Benjamin R. Simpson, who ordered that the first four years of the sentence will be fixed, while James will be eligible for parole during the remaining 15 years.
James' felonies also included malicious injury to property, unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, and three counts of grand theft.
Kootenai County deputy prosecutor Ann Wick, who prosecuted the case, said, "Mr. James has demonstrated a pattern of committing crime sprees and fleeing from prosecution. He presents a very real threat to the safety of the community, and the sentence he received reflects that."
James was ordered to reimburse Idaho $300 for laboratory costs associated with the case, pay a $10,000 fine, and pay restitution to his crime victims.
James admitted to being a habitual offender, as he has been previously convicted of other felonies in Idaho and Washington.
James also was sentenced this week in a Bonner County case, where James had entered guilty pleas to felony possession of methamphetamine and eluding police.
In the Bonner County case, James was sentenced to five years in prison, with the first three years of the sentence being fixed.
In September 2009, Kootenai County sheriff's deputies went to James' residence to serve him with outstanding arrest warrants. On the property, the deputies found several stolen vehicles, the makings of a meth lab, and firearms.
A separate investigation by the Idaho State Police determined that James intentionally rammed a police vehicle in a stolen pickup truck during a traffic stop and then fled the scene.
The case was delayed several months because James fled the state of Idaho and committed additional crimes in Washington.
Once he was returned to Idaho, he entered guilty pleas in the Bonner County and Kootenai County cases.