Truck theft foiled by wireless device

SANDPOINT - A transient was arrested Thursday for allegedly stealing a pickup truck that was parked outside a Hope restaurant.

The truck's owner told Bonner County sheriff's deputies he parked the 2015 GMC pickup outside the Icehouse Pizzaria to eat lunch and upon his return discovered the rig was gone.

The vehicle was unlocked and its keys were left in a center console, court documents said.

The vehicle, however, was quickly tracked to westbound U.S. Highway 2 near Laclede because the vehicle was equipped with OnStar, a wireless voice and data communication apparatus. Deputies pursued it to Eastside Road near Priest River and OnStar technicians disabled the vehicle remotely.

James Russell Agnew was arrested without incident and charged with burglary.

Agnew, 24, made an initial court appearance via video feed from the Bonner County Jail. Judge Lori Meulenberg set Agnew's bail at $10,000 and appointed a public defender to represent him.