Police say the newly constructed, recently sold house was empty when it was destroyed before dawn Tuesday.
POST FALLS, Idaho — A 29-year-old man was arrested early Tuesday after an excavator was driven through a newly built home in a Post Falls subdivision, police said, leaving the structure in ruins and prompting a brief search before officers stopped a fleeing vehicle.
The case matters now because the house had just been completed and sold but was not yet occupied, limiting injuries yet raising questions about motive, access to heavy equipment and security on active construction sites. Police identified the driver as Fred J. Kudrna IV and booked him into the Kootenai County Jail on suspicion of misdemeanor DUI, felony burglary and felony malicious injury to property. Detectives are working with the builder and witnesses to document damage and determine whether additional charges are warranted.
Officers were called just after 4 a.m. Tuesday to reports that an excavator had torn into a new home on a quiet street on the city’s west side. Responding units found the residence heavily damaged — walls punched out, roofline sagging and framing splintered — and soon spotted a vehicle leaving the area, according to police. After a traffic stop several blocks away, officers detained the driver and began a field investigation. The home, which police said had closed sale recently, was unoccupied at the time. “The timing could have been far worse if anyone had been inside,” a police spokesperson said. Neighbors who woke to the noise told officers they first thought it was overnight construction until they saw debris scattering into the street.
Investigators said Kudrna has construction experience and lives a transient lifestyle. The department said there is no known motive. Crews secured the scene while city inspectors and the builder surveyed what remained of the structure. Police noted the excavator had been parked nearby and was driven onto the lot before the destruction. The arrest followed standard procedures: a traffic stop, impairment screening and the discovery of probable cause for the property and burglary counts tied to entering the site and using equipment without permission, according to police. No injuries were reported. The total loss estimate is pending, but the home was described as “a total demolition” by one official at the site.
Post Falls, a fast-growing city along the Spokane River, has seen steady new housing starts in recent years as Kootenai County’s population expands. In developments under construction, heavy equipment may be staged overnight with varying levels of security, depending on subcontractor schedules and delivery timelines. While vandalism and theft from job sites appear periodically in police logs, the use of an excavator to level a completed home is rare in the region, officers said. Similar cases nationally have led to complicated insurance claims involving builders’ risk policies, general liability coverage and, once a home changes hands, homeowners insurance. Officials declined to discuss specific coverage details for Tuesday’s incident.
Kudrna made an initial court appearance Wednesday on the felony and misdemeanor counts and remained in jail on a $75,000 bond as of Thursday, according to court and jail records. A preliminary hearing, where prosecutors outline the basis for the charges, is set for Nov. 21. Police said detectives are reviewing surveillance video and gathering statements from workers and neighbors. The builder is compiling invoices, permits and materials lists to document losses for prosecutors and insurers. City officials said any demolition and cleanup will require coordination with building inspectors and utility providers to ensure the site is safe before debris removal and reconstruction decisions proceed.
On the block where the house stood, a sour smell of fresh lumber and diesel hung in the air. A worker in a hard hat shook his head while pointing out the path the excavator took across the lot. “You can follow the tracks straight through the foundation,” he said. A neighbor described jolting awake to the sound of “metal chewing wood,” then watching first responders string yellow tape along the sidewalk. By late morning, the machine had been taken to a secure location and a tow was arranged for the suspect’s vehicle. An orange notice warned people not to enter the unstable structure.
As of Friday, the investigation remained open, with police saying they are still working to determine how the excavator was accessed and whether anyone else was involved. The next public milestone is the Nov. 21 preliminary hearing, when a judge will decide if the case advances to district court.
Author note: Last updated November 14, 2025.