ID ID - Rae Allison Berwanger, 54, Sandpoint, 5 March 2019 *Roommate caught w/bank card

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doodles1211

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Police say a northern Idaho man has been arrested for using the bank card of a woman who hasn’t been seen since early March.

The Bonner County Daily Bee reports that Jordan Jarrad Law of Kelso Lake was arrested Wednesday. He is accused of having used a bank card belonging to his former girlfriend and roommate, 54-year-old Rae Allison Berwanger, in the days after her disappearance to withdraw $1,200.

The newspaper says Berwanger was last seen by her brother on March 3 at Law’s home, and that she may have been intended to move to Washington state after a falling out with Law.

Court records show that the 41-year-old Law told authorities he hadn’t seen Berwanger since selling her his car for $800. He told investigators he believed Berwanger went to Florida to visit her son or to Alaska to meet up with somebody she knew from social media. But police said surveillance footage showed him driving the car when he used the bank card to withdraw the money.
Police: Man arrested for using bank card of missing woman

showPhotograph.action


RAE ALLISON BERWANGER
LAST DATE OF CONTACT : 3/5/19


DOB : 5/4/65 HEIGHT : 5'06"
GENDER : FEMALE WEIGHT : 170 lbs
HAIR COLOR : BROWN EYE COLOR : GREEN
RACE : WHITE

CASE INFORMATION :
FEMALE WAS LS DRIVING A WHITE 1992 PONTIAC GRAND AM WITH A RED HOOD - IDAHO LICENSE PLATE K631427, FAIR SKIN, SC ABDOMEN, AKA: ARNOLD,RAE ALLISON/KING,RAE ALLISON, GLASSES, TAT ABDOMEN, TAT L ANKL, TAT R SHLD


IF YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION ABOUT THIS PERSON PLEASE CONTACT :
BONNER COUNTY SO @ (208)263-8417
IDAHO MISSING PERSONS CLEARINGHOUSE - RAE BERWANGER
 
Mr. Law is certainly not the brightest bulb, is he? :confused:o_O

From the article:

[...]

Law claimed to have found the Pontiac high-centered on a snowbank at the corner of Diagonal and Clagstone roads on March 7 and “leap-frogged” his vehicle and the Pontiac back to his home, a distance of 10 miles, court records indicate.

However, investigators obtained surveillance camera footage from banks in Spirit Lake and Coeur d’Alene which showed Law made three $400 withdrawals using Berwanger’s debit card while driving the Pontiac on March 4, March 5 and March 6, which contradicted an earlier statement in which he said he hadn’t seen the vehicle between March 5-7. Law, the affidavit said, was confronted by detectives and admitted lying about the Pontiac but had no explanation for the fabrication.

“He did not provide a reason for why he invented the story. Law stated the Pontiac had been in his possession the entire time,” Det. Matthew Wallace said in the affidavit.

[...]
 
JUN 1, 2019
Hearing is reset in case
A Kelso Lake man accused of possessing a missing woman’s debit card waived his right Wednesday to a timely preliminary hearing in Bonner County Magistrate Court.

Jordan Jarrad Law’s waiver resets the hearing, in which a judge determines if there’s sufficient evidence to justify a trial in 1st District Court, for June 12. Law is charged with criminal possession of a financial transaction card belonging to Rae Allison Berwanger, who was last seen on March 5.

Criminal defendants in Idaho have the right to a preliminary hearing within 14 days of their arrest if they are in custody or 21 days if they aren’t. Law, who acted as his own counsel during Wednesday’s hearing, secured his release with a $30,000 surety bond on May 15, court records show.

[...]

JUN 14, 2019
Hearing is reset in Law case
A preliminary hearing has been reset for a Kelso Lake man accused of unlawfully possessing the debit card of a woman who has been missing since March.

The case against Jordan Jarrad Law was set for a preliminary hearing on Wednesday, but is being pushed back until July 3 because he recently retained private counsel who needs time to review discovery materials in the case.

Law, 41, is free on a $30,000 surety bond while the case is pending.

[...]
 

“Jordan Jarrad Law remains held at the Bonner County Jail while awaiting a preliminary hearing on the felony charge, according to court documents. Law is accused of unlawfully using a financial transaction card belonging to Rae Allison Berwanger in the days after her disappearance to withdraw $1,200 from the woman’s account.”

Any SM on this perp?
 
Mr. Law is certainly not the brightest bulb, is he? :confused:o_O

From the article:

[...]

Law claimed to have found the Pontiac high-centered on a snowbank at the corner of Diagonal and Clagstone roads on March 7 and “leap-frogged” his vehicle and the Pontiac back to his home, a distance of 10 miles, court records indicate.

However, investigators obtained surveillance camera footage from banks in Spirit Lake and Coeur d’Alene which showed Law made three $400 withdrawals using Berwanger’s debit card while driving the Pontiac on March 4, March 5 and March 6, which contradicted an earlier statement in which he said he hadn’t seen the vehicle between March 5-7. Law, the affidavit said, was confronted by detectives and admitted lying about the Pontiac but had no explanation for the fabrication.

“He did not provide a reason for why he invented the story. Law stated the Pontiac had been in his possession the entire time,” Det. Matthew Wallace said in the affidavit.

[...]


Wow!he lies like a rug.o_O

The mother goose tales are not even believable.
 
JUL 14, 2019
Hearing reset Law case
A preliminary hearing is again being reset in the case against a Kelso Lake man who fraudulently used a bank card belonging to a woman who hasn’t been seen in more than four months.

The hearing was set for earlier this month, but was rescheduled for July 31 to provide Jordan Jerrad Law’s defense counsel additional time to review evidence and prepare for the proceeding, according to records filed in 1st District Court.

[...]

Berwanger moved into Law’s home earlier this year, after being asked to leave a different Kelso Lake Road home due to excessive drinking and disagreements with one of the homeowners, court records indicate.

Law told investigators that he hadn’t seen Berwanger since selling her his Pontiac Grand Am for $800 and suspected she used the vehicle to go to Florida to visit her son or to Alaska to meet up with somebody she met online, a probable cause affidavit said. He claimed he hadn’t seen the vehicle since March 7, when he claimed to have found it high-centered on a snowbank at Clagstone and Diagonal roads.

However, bank surveillance cameras captured images of Law using the bank card to make a three $400 withdrawals in Coeur d’Alene and Spirit Lake on March 4-6, which contradicted his claim. Law, the affidavit said, could not explain why he fabricated the story about happening upon the vehicle.
 
SEP 20, 2019
Hearing waived in bank card case
[...]

Jordan Jarrad Law’s plea hearing comes after nearly a half-dozen defense postponements of a preliminary hearing, where the state would have had to demonstrate that it possessed enough evidence to justify trying Law on a charge of unlawful use of a financial transaction card belonging to Rae Allison Berwanger, who has been listed as a missing person since early March.

Counsel for Law ultimately opted not to contest the state’s case in Bonner County Magistrate Court and waived his right to a preliminary hearing last month, setting the stage for his arraignment in 1st District Court on Oct. 7. Law is free on a $30,000 surety bond while the case is pending.

Law, 41, has not been formally named as a suspect in the disappearance of Berwanger.

[...]
 
Here is Jordan Law's info on VINE:

VINELink

"JORDAN JARRAD LAW
Court Record
Age 41
Gender Male
Date of Birth Oct 07, 1977
Case Number CR09191588
Case StatusOpen
DispositionActive
Disposition Date May 16, 2019

COURT EVENTS
Event Date and Time Oct 07, 2019 08:30 AM MDT
Event Status Scheduled
Event Type Hearing
Event Location Bonner County Courthouse
215 South 1st Avenue
Sandpoint, ID 83864
(208) 265-1432

Event Date and Time Aug 21, 2019 01:30 PM MDT
Event Status Scheduled
Event Type Preliminary Hearing
Event Location Bonner County Courthouse
215 South 1st Avenue
Sandpoint, ID 83864
(208) 265-1432"

In case the above link doesn't work, just go to the search page and enter his name:

VINELink

I just searched for offender/defendant, Idaho, by name, and Jarod Law. I also checked the box for show photo, but there was none. I can't find his photo anywhere yet.
 
I just went to her facebook and he's on her friends list. Maybe worth a look o_O
He is there! Thank you for finding that! I had first looked for a "Jordan Law in Idaho," and couldn't find a page for him, so I just read Rae's FB feed, and she never mentioned him. I forgot to look at her friends list, but I'm glad you did! IMO, it looks like they really were roommates after reading both of their FB pages.
 
She has been added to NamUs: The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

Also in Charley Project: Rae Allison Berwanger – The Charley Project

Details of Disappearance
Berwanger was last seen at her residence in Priest River, Idaho on March 5, 2019. She has never been heard from again.

In May 2019, Jordan Jarrad Law was arrested on charges of bank fraud and lying to police. He allegedly used Berwanger's debit card to withdraw $1,200 from her account, in $400 increments, in the day after her disappearance. He was her former boyfriend and roommate, and Berwanger was last seen by her brother at Law's home.

Law told police he hadn't seen Berwanger since he sold her his car, a white 1992 Pontiac Grand Am with a red hood and the Idaho license plate number K631427, for $800. He stated he thought she might have gone to Florida to visit her son, or to Alaska to meet someone she knew from online, However, surveillance footage showed he was driving the car he said he sold to Berwanger when he may the withdrawals from her bank account between March 4 and March 6.

According to Law, he sold Berwanger the Pontiac on March 4 and she paid him that night. The next day, both she and the car had disappeared from his property. He said that he found it again on March 7, high-center in the snow abandoned at the corner of Diagonal and Clagstone west of Silverwood Theme Park. This is ten miles from his residence. He took it home at this time. When the police confronted Law with the surveillance video showing him driving the car on the days Berwanger supposedly had it, he admitted he had lied and that the car had been in his possession the entire time period, but didn't explain why he lied.

Investigators stated Law is a person of interest in Berwanger's case. It's uncharacteristic of her to leave without warning; she normally spoke with friends and family on a daily basis. Her disappearance remains unsolved.
 

Bonner County Sheriff's Office

11h ·
PRESS RELEASE
Suspect Arrested For Murder in 2019 Missing Persons Case
On March 7th, 2019, Rae Allison Berwanger was reported as a missing person to the Bonner County Sheriff’s Office by a close family friend. During the investigation, 46-year-old Jordan Jarrad Law, previously of Bonner County, was developed as a person of interest in the case.

After a lengthy investigation by Bonner County Sheriff’s Detectives and with the assistance of the Idaho State Police SAKI (Sexual Assault Kit Initiative) program, Jordan Law was indicted by a Bonner County Grand Jury on September 17th, 2024 for:
Count 1-Murder in the Second Degree
Count 2-Offering False or Forged Instrument for Record
Count 3-Destruction of Evidence
Count 4-Rape-Resists but Resistance is Overcome by Force or Violence
Count 5-Rape-Resists but Resistance is Overcome by Force or Violence
Counts 4 and 5 were relevant to an additional victim that was discovered during the investigation.

With the assistance of the Bend (Oregon) Police Department, Spokane County Sheriff’s Office, and the U.S. Marshals Service, Jordan Law was located in Spokane on September 18th, 2024, and taken into custody.

United States Marshal for the District of Idaho, Brent Bunn, commends the steadfast investigative efforts of the Bonner County Sheriff’s Office and expressed his gratitude for the quick work by the various law enforcement agencies across multiple states in order to remove a violent offender from the community.
U.S. Marshal Bunn noted, “the valuable partnerships with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies enables our task forces to identify violent offenders for apprehension.” U.S. Marshal Bunn also added, “our relationship with the Idaho Department of Correction, Spokane County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Border Patrol was integral in safely apprehending Law yesterday.”

Craig Thayer, United States Marshal for the Eastern District of Washington added, “Inter-agency partnerships that extend between different states have once again aided in the successful apprehension of another violent offender who must now face the criminal justice system.”

The Idaho State Police (ISP) Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) program provided investigative and forensic science support and funding for this investigation. ISP received three grants from the U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) through the SAKI program to bolster Idaho law enforcement's efforts to collect and process lawfully owed DNA samples. These grants also support the resolution of cold cases related to violent crime, sexual assault, homicide, and unidentified human remains through cutting-edge forensic science analysis.

If anyone has any additional information, please contact Detective Swanstrom with the Bonner County Sheriff’s Office at 208-263-8417, Ext. 3204.

- Sheriff Daryl Wheeler

 
SEP 20, 2024
He was indicted on a charge of murder in the second degree, a charge of offering false evidence and a charge of destroying evidence. Law also faces two charges of rape, which police said were "relevant to an additional victim that was discovered during the investigation."

Police said that evidence from the Idaho State Police's Sexual Assault Kit Initiative helped lead to the charges, but did not elaborate on how.
 

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