Man charged after gun threat at center for people with disabilities

Alex J. Brown | Bonneville County Jail
IDAHO FALLS — Prosecutors have charged a man for allegedly pulling a gun at a center for people with disabilities this summer.
Alex J. Brown, 26, is charged with felony aggravated assault, grand theft, burglary and misdemeanor operating a vehicle without the owner’s consent. According to an affidavit of probable cause, Brown spent a weekend at Journeys DDA on Woodruff Avenue and while at the facility, pointed a handgun at three people.
Surveillance video at Journeys shows a man matching Brown’s description going into the closed building around 4 p.m. on July 24. While inside the building, Brown allegedly rummaged through the desks and other places and took a set of keys to a van in the parking lot outside. Brown drove away with one of Journey’s vans before returning to the parking lot 15 minutes later.
At some point on July 24, Brown also allegedly stole a 2014 Jeep Wrangler Sport edition from Revolution Auto down the street from Journeys and returned to the center with the Jeep, where he slept and ate food over the weekend. Then, on July 26, when staff arrived at Journeys around 7 a.m., they noticed items that did not belong there and realized there had been an intruder.
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Around 10 a.m., staff found Brown sleeping inside the Jeep outside Journeys. As three employees confronted him, Brown allegedly got out of the Jeep and pointed a handgun at the staff members. Brown then got back into the Jeep, where he drove away.
The Idaho Falls Police Department was then called to the center and began to investigate.
Later on, as the investigation unfolded, a Riverdale, Utah, police officer contacted local police saying they had found the stolen Jeep. Utah investigators determined Brown had driven to a Utah Walmart, then went to a Nissan car dealership where he drove inside the showroom when the cleaning crew was inside. Once inside the dealership, Brown allegedly took keys and left the stolen Jeep.
It’s not clear if any cars were taken from the Nissan dealership.
Utah investigators were able to match a finger tattoo on surveillance video at the Walmart to Brown. A warrant in Idaho was issued for his arrest on Sept. 10.
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Court records also link him to criminal activity in multiple eastern Idaho counties, where he faces theft and burglary charges. Brown was also arrested in Madison County earlier in September on unrelated felony burglary and misdemeanor possession of marijuana charges.
Authorities brought him to Bonneville County, where he made an initial appearance on Sept. 24. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Oct. 6.
Although Brown is accused of crimes it does not necessarily mean he committed them. Everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
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Source: eastidahonews.com