Bounty hunter found not guilty of trespassing charge

A jury has acquitted a bounty hunter after he was accused of terrorizing a Coeur d’Alene family by threatening to break into their home to find a fugitive who wasn’t there.

The Coeur d’Alene Press reports the jury took less than two hours to find 24-year-old Reed J. Alefteras not guilty of trespassing and disturbing the peace after he and two other bounty hunters tried to enter a home last year to find a woman who had never been there.

Homeowner Dalen Gunn told the jury he and his wife Mary were in bed when someone pounded on the door. When he answered, he saw Alefteras, a Spokane recovery agent, and two others who were looking for a 46-year-old transient who had skipped bail after being charged with felony burglary and theft.

Idaho case law allows bounty hunters to use force to enter a home even if the fugitive sought is not in the home after they make an explanation and demand admittance.