Arrest made in Mullan shooting case
MULLAN — The nearly month-long saga of random gunshots keeping Mullan residents in fear appears to have finally come to an end.
The Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office reports that 50-year-old Kurt A. Morozko of Mullan was taken into custody on Thursday, Jan. 11 following a traffic stop and execution of a search warrant on his home at 502 Pine St. SCSO stated in a news release that “the search warrant was a result of an ongoing investigation pertaining to shots being fired in the direction of occupied houses in the Pine Street area of Mullan — this had been ongoing since December.”
Law enforcement officials with SCSO and the Osburn Police Department initially planned to conduct their search of the home (believed to be where the shots were coming from), then take Morozko into custody following the discovery of evidence linking him to the shootings. Due to unforeseen (and arguably fortuitous) circumstances though, that plan played out in reverse.
Prior to the execution of the search warrant, Sheriff Mike Gunderson conducted a traffic stop, realized it was the suspect and detained him. SCSO Undersheriff Holly Lindsey told the News-Press that Morozko exhibited “noncooperative behavior at first, but complied shortly after the contact.”
The News-Press asked SCSO what the reason was for the traffic stop, but did not receive a reply before press time.
Around 4 p.m., the police collaborative initiated their search of the home while Morozko was detained. Medical personnel with Shoshone County Fire District No. 1 were on standby as the search was conducted. Unconfirmed reports suggest that prior to entry officials had reason to believe that the home may have been booby-trapped. It is unknown if the home actually was.
Details of the search have not been released, but the next day, Morozko was initially charged with felony unlawful discharge of a firearm, felony malicious injury to property, felony possession of a schedule II controlled substance, misdemeanor possession of a schedule III controlled substance and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia.
The Idaho State Repository shows that he is currently being charged with three felony counts of unlawful discharge of a weapon at a house, occupied building, vehicle, etc., one felony charge of malicious injury to property, and one felony charge of possession of a controlled substance.
This arrest was the culmination of events that began several weeks ago when residents of Mullan were hearing gun shots at random times in-town. For two weeks, disgruntled residents took to social media to voice their displeasure over the disturbances.
“Someone is shooting, day and night, in Mullan,” one resident posted to Facebook on Dec. 23. “My dogs are scared to death. PLEASE STOP!!”
It was not until Dec. 29 that law enforcement was alerted and responded. Upon further investigation, deputies discovered bullet holes in two homes. SCSO would respond to Mullan three more times between Dec. 29 and Jan. 7 after receiving reports of gunshots once again. Each time, deputies would spread out through the area to narrow down where the shots were coming from.
Once enough information had been gathered on the shooter and his location, SCSO requested a search warrant.
Thankfully no injures were reported throughout the entire ordeal.
Lindsey stated that, at this time, SCSO does not know the motivation behind Morozko’s actions. Individuals close to the investigation suggest mental illness may be a factor.
His preliminary hearing has been set for Jan. 25 and bail has been set at $500,000.