Coeur d’Alene man charged with kratom theft

COEUR d’ALENE — Police arrested a local man who they suspect of stealing kratom from multiple businesses.

Nathan P. Gadberry, 40, of Coeur d’Alene, is charged with two counts of grand theft and two counts of burglary, all felonies. He also faces three counts of commercial burglary and one count of malicious injury to property, all misdemeanors. 

In recent weeks, Coeur d’Alene police have investigated a string of burglaries at area businesses, according to a news release issued Friday. 

The suspect, later identified by police as Gadberry, allegedly targeted three different businesses and specifically asked to purchase kratom. 

Kratom is an herbal substance that can produce “opioid and stimulant-like effects,” according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. 

Police said that, on multiple occasions, the clerk started processing the transaction, only for Gadberry to flee the store with kratom he hadn’t paid for. In one instance, Gadberry allegedly took the kratom directly from behind the counter before leaving without paying. 

Most recently, police said Gadberry broke into a locked case and took more than $2,000 worth of kratom before fleeing the store. 

Police said input from the public helped them identify Gadberry. After obtaining a warrant to search his residence, detectives recovered some of the stolen goods, as well as “other evidence linking him to the burglaries,” according to the Coeur d’Alene Police Department.