KHQ Right Now - News and Weather for Spokane and North Idaho | Police arrest video store employee who claimed he was robbed

Police arrest video store employee who claimed he was robbed

MOSCOW, Idaho - Police have arrested an employee of the Movie Gallery video store who two months ago claimed the store was robbed at gunpoint.

Police say on September 19, 2009 at 11:00 p.m., an armed robbery was reported at the Movie Gallery located at 1404 S. Blaine.  Hunter Hursh an employee of the store told police a Hispanic male had brandished a pistol and demanded money.  He stated the robber had concealed his face with a handkerchief, and after taking approximately $848 in cash exited the store.

On September 21, detectives questioned Hursh about his account of the robbery.  Police say they gave him an opportunity to revise his statement about the events on the night of the reported robbery.  Hursh insisted his account of the robbery was truthful and accurate. Detectives continued the investigation and showed several photo line-ups to Hursh who did not identify any of the persons of interest who matched the description.

On November 17, 2009 an informant with knowledge of the robbery at the Movie Gallery came forward according to the police.  Police say the informant implicating Hursh by telling them Hursh and his roommate had staged the robbery for the money.  Based on the information provided by the informant a search warrant was obtained by police on November 18.  At 7:30 a.m. on November 19 police executed the warrant at a residence in the 1300 block of West A Street.  In the search police recovered an air soft pistol the believed was used in the allegedly staged robbery along with a flat screen TV allegedly stolen on September 3, 2009 in a reported burglary on East Palouse River Drive.

After the warrant was executed Hursh was transported to the Moscow Police Department and interrogated.  Police Department and interrogated.  Police said the interrogation established probable cause to arrest Hursh and charged him with Principle to Burglary, Burglary, Grand Theft by Possession and False Report of a Felony.

Police said the case remains under investigation with possible charges against Hursh’s roommate who was detained, interrogated and released while awaiting referral of investigative findings of the Latah County Prosecutor’s Office.