Pocatello man allegedly lives in home he was supposed to fix, stealing numerous items

POCATELLO — A man who was supposed to be repairing a woman’s home was living there and stealing all sorts of items instead, say police. Now he’s facing four felony charges.

Kodie Martin Munn, 50, of Pocatello, has been charged with grand theft, principal to burglary and two counts of burglary, court records show.

Oct. 23, 2022

Pocatello Police responded to a report of a theft at a home on the 1300 block of North Grant Avenue around 10:45 a.m., according to an affidavit of probable cause.

Officers spoke with the caller, who said she had been out of town for around two months and came home to find several items had been taken — including a piggy bank filled with around $80 in change.

She showed the officer where she hid a key to a safe and said that both the key and safe were gone, the affidavit says. The affidavit notes that a second, larger safe was left in the home, but the woman could not gain access to find if anything had been taken because the key to that safe had also been taken.

According to the affidavit, the smaller safe contained 20 to 30 silver commemorative coins, the documentation of authenticity for the coins, a vintage piggy bank and two rings — one platinum and diamond, and the other gold and diamond.

The gold ring, the victim told police, had great sentimental value and had belonged to the victim’s mother.

She also showed a hidden compartment in her room where she kept jewelry — which, according to police reports, had been “rifled through,” but nothing appeared to be missing.

Additionally, the woman said that it appeared her bed had been slept in. She showed officers a mattress, couches and other parts of the property that appeared to have been urinated on.

Officers spoke with a woman, who had hired contractors to repair the home while the victim was out of town and learned that one of the contractors, Munn, had been fired. The woman provided the officers with Munn’s address and various ways he could be contacted.

The officers then spoke with a neighbor, who recalled numerous occasions when Munn and others would come to the residence around 2 a.m. The neighbor said she believed it had been about one month since Munn started staying at the home, adding that he regularly went in and out while carrying a backpack.

Officers went to Munn’s home but did not find him there.

Officers learned shortly thereafter that a platinum and diamond ring had been pawned at a store in Pocatello. The officers went to the store and learned that a woman, identified as Jennifer Lake, had tried to pawn the ring. An employee told officers he was concerned about Lake’s demeanor so he offered her only $55 for the ring, and she accepted the amount, despite it being worth around $2,000.

Police reports show that the sold ring was similar in appearance to an image provided by the victim. The officers went back to the victim’s home and showed her a photo of the ring, and she confirmed it to be hers.

While speaking with the victim on their second trip, officers learned that all the food in the home’s pantry and freezer had been eaten. She also said her medicine cabinet had been raided, and a bottle of prescription oxycodone was gone, as were several gift cards and blank checks.

The victim told officers that every time she looked around the house, she found more things missing.

When officers returned to the pawn shop, they learned that because the company had purchased the ring — rather than pawning — the seller’s information had not been retained. Employees also told officers that surveillance from the purchase had already been erased.

Nov. 4, 2022

Officers spoke with the victim again and learned of other items she had discovered were missing — including several Bluetooth speakers and an onyx ring, valued at around $1,000.

The officers told the woman they had shown the picture of the mother’s missing ring to all the pawn shops in town and had no luck finding it. Officers said they learned pawn shops often scrapped out rings by separating stones from the metal to sell them separately.

Officers took photos of the newly reported missing onyx ring to local pawn shops and were once again unsuccessful in their search.

The platinum ring was released from evidence and returned to the owner.

Dec. 24, 2022

While responding to a disturbance call on North 8th Avenue, officers spoke with a woman who identified herself as Jennifer Lake. Responding officers called the officer investigating the burglary and theft, who spoke with Lake.

Lake, 40, told the officer that the ring was a gift from Munn. She said she was uncomfortable with Munn giving her the ring, so she sold it and stopped communicating with him.

She said she did not know the ring was stolen, that Munn told her it formerly belonged to his mother.

Lake was “very cooperative” with police, the affidavit says, and provided officers with some details about Munn’s comings and goings while he was allegedly working on the home. She said she did not know about Munn stealing anything from the residence.

She was arrested and taken to Bannock County Jail, where she was booked then released on her own recognizance. She was charged with one count of grand theft and one count of burglary, both felonies, for allegedly selling a ring stolen from the home.

With information provided by Lake, a warrant was written for the arrest of Munn.

However, Lake could not provide officers with up-to-date contact information for Munn, as she had not talked to him since he gave her the ring.

Pocatello Police did not track Munn down until May, when he was arrested and booked into Bannock County Jail. Police reports do not indicate whether or not Munn answered questions.

He is being held at the jail and has been bound over to District Court after a preliminary hearing was waived.

Though Munn and Lake have been charged with these crimes, it does not necessarily mean they committed them. Everyone is presumed innocent until they are proven guilty.

If they are found guilty, Lake could face up to 24 years in prison, and Munn faces up to 44 years.

Munn is expected to appear before District Judge Rick Carnaroli for arraignment into District Court on Monday. Lake is scheduled for jury trial before District Judge Robert Naftz on Sept. 12.