A 47-year-old man has been charged with four crimes for allegedly illegally taking a motorcycle and a pickup truck, illegally entering a Sun Valley condominium and fleeing from police.
Juan Jose Mourino was formally charged with the crimes Friday in Blaine County Magistrate Court. He is accused of felony burglary, two misdemeanor counts of operating a vehicle without the owner’s consent and one misdemeanor count of fleeing police in a motor vehicle.
According to court records, Mourino was released Monday from the Blaine County jail after posting $7,500 bond. Hailey attorney Christopher Simms was appointed as public defender.
“The person stopped in the middle of the road,
dropped the motorcycle and fled on foot.”
Walt Femling
Sun Valley police chief
Sun Valley Police Chief Walt Femling said Monday that police were uncertain where Mourino lives but that he had been staying at times in Sun Valley. He was identified by an Arizona driver’s license. However, court records state that he is from San Diego, Calif.
Mourino’s alleged crime spree occurred on Thursday, Sept. 12, when the suspect allegedly took a 1976 Yamaha 750 motorcycle, awaiting shipment to California, from the Silver Car Auction site in Sun Valley. Femling said a Sun Valley police officer attempted to make a traffic stop on Mourino at about 4:20 a.m. on Old Dollar Road.
“The person stopped in the middle of the road, dropped the motorcycle and fled on foot,” Femling said, noting that the officer recognized Mourino from earlier encounters.
Police searched the area but were unable to find the suspect. Femling said that around 7 a.m. police received a report of a 2003 F-150 pickup stolen from the Dollar Meadows condominium complex. Femling said Mourino allegedly entered a condominium when an occupant left to go jogging and took the keys to the truck.
Femling said Mourino, along with the vehicle, were later found at a friend’s home in the Indian Springs condominium complex in Elkhorn.
Terry Smith: tsmith@mtexpress.com
