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Man who led North Hill chase sent home |
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December 21, 2017 |
After serving 25 days in the Boundary County
Jail, a man thought to be a dangerous felon who
led law enforcement on a merry chase on Bonners
Ferry's North Hill November 19 has been released
and will pay some fines as he goes home to
answer to drug warrants that were the reason he
bailed and ran from an ISP traffic stop.
At about 3 p.m. that day, Idaho State Police
Trooper Dustin Kralik stopped a black 2001
Toyota Corolla on Highway 95 near mile 509 at 3
p.m. after having watched it traveling west on
Highway 2 and turn left at the Three Mile
traffic light onto Highway 95.
Instead of pulling into the nearest lane, the
driver drove into the southbound outside lane,
prompting Kralic to make the stop. While running
IDs from his patrol vehicle, Kralic watched the
as-yet unidentified passenger, who'd been picked
up hitch hiking, bolt from the car, sprint up
the steep embankment and disappear over the top
in the general direction of the landfill,
prompting a multiple agency manhunt that ended
with the capture of Alex A. O'Connor, 26, Coeur
d'Alene.
He was recognized after slipping through the
cordon of searchers and going into the Three
Mile Store, where he was recognized. He fled,
only to be captured across Highway 95 at 8:11
p.m. thanks to alert employees at the store.
Kralik met O'Connor at the jail afterwards, and
asked him why he'd run.
"Why do you think?" O'Connor replied. "I have a
warrant!"
He was jailed on charges of resisting and
obstructing arrest, possession of marijuana and
possession of paraphernalia, the latter later
dismissed, to which he pled not guilty.
A jury found otherwise on Tuesday, December 19,
convicting him on both counts. Judge Justin
Julian sentenced him to time served, fined him
$142.50 and $157.50 costs for resisting and
obstructing, and a fine of $102.50 and $197.50
costs for the misdemeanor drug possession count. |
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