Tribal Member Admits To Smoke Shop Burglary

COEUR D'ALENE - Joseph Reno Stensgar, 36, of Plummer, Idaho, pleaded guilty on August 19, 2014 to burglary, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. Stensgar was indicted by a federal grand jury in Coeur d'Alene on May 20, 2014.

According to the plea agreement, Stensgar admitted that on January 3, 2014, he agreed to enter the Stubby Lake Smoke Shop in order to seal cartons of cigarettes. During the course of the burglary, cigarettes, cash, a laptop computer, car keys, and 2012 Subaru Forrester were taken by Stensgar and another person. The crime happened on the Coeur d’Alene Reservation.

The charge of Burglary is punishable by at least one year and up to ten years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000.00, and up to three years of supervised release.

Sentencing is set for November 12, 2014, before U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge at the federal courthouse in Coeur d'Alene.

The case was investigated by Coeur d’Alene Tribal Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).