Pocatello trio charged after allegedly stealing generator, trying to pawn it

POCATELLO — A woman and two men have been charged after police say they stole a generator from a home and attempted to sell it to a pawn shop.

Eric Hamp, 44, Tesa Gibbs, 50, and Theodore Bourgeau-Williamson, 26, have each been charged with felonies for burglary and grand theft by receiving or transferring stolen property, court records show.

Pocatello police received a call reporting a theft at a residence on Industrial Lane on Jan. 5, according to an affidavit of probable cause. The caller told officers that a generator, valued at $1,200, was taken from his shed.

The victim told officers he believed Bourgeau-Williamson was involved. He described an interaction he’d had the day prior, when he invited Bourgeau-Williamson, whom he identified as being homeless, into his home for a meal. The victim said Bourgeau-Williamson declined, saying he was waiting outside the victim’s home for his girlfriend.

When officers went to the victim’s home, he showed the officers tire tracks, which appeared to show a vehicle had backed into the man’s driveway. He also showed officers two sets of shoe-prints, leading from the driveway to the shed in the backyard. Police reports describe tire tracks, believed to be from the generator, leading back to the driveway.

According to the affidavit, officers were contacted by the owner of a Pocatello pawn shop, informing them that three people tried to pawn a generator, matching the description of the one stolen.

The pawn shop owner said a middle-aged man, a middle-aged woman and a second man wearing a bandana tried to pawn the generator. When a deal was not made, the trio loaded the generator into a green pickup and left the area. The pawn shop owner provided officers with a license plate number for the truck.

The business owner told police the man, later identified as Hamp, said “you’re not going to call the cops, are you?” before leaving.

While investigating, the initial officer was contacted by another Pocatello police officer. The second officer said they saw a green truck, driven by a middle-aged man with two passengers, with a generator matching the description provided of the one stolen.

Using the license plate number provided by the pawn shop owner, officers found a truck matching the one described registered to Hamp. Hamp, police reports show, matched the description of the driver.

Officers went to Hamp’s home. They asked Hamp if he played a role in the theft of a generator, to which he responded saying he knew nothing about a stolen generator. He told officers that he regularly loans his truck to people. Among the people Hamp told officers had recently been in his car were Bourgeau-Williamson and Gibbs.

Later the same day, officers performed a traffic stop on the truck. According to the affidavit, it was being driven by Gibbs. Bourgeau-Williamson was also in the truck at the time of the stop.

All three were booked into Bannock County Jail. Hamp was released on his own recognizance to court services with testing. Gibbs is being held on a $5,000 bond and Bourgeau-Williamson is being held on a $2,500 bond.

While in jail custody, Gibbs allegedly told officers that Hamp and Bourgeau-Williamson stole the generator and that she was not there when it was taken.

Though they 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, each would face up to up to 24 years in prison.