The following is a news release from Idaho State Police.

On June 9, at approximately 3:10 p.m., Idaho State Police located a 2007 Chevrolet pickup driving southbound on Interstate 15, near the Sage Junction Port of Entry in Jefferson County. The vehicle had been entered as stolen out of Minnesota.

Troopers initiated a traffic stop by activating their lights, at which point the vehicle slowed, then drove off the road and through adjacent fields. Troopers lost sight of the vehicle.

That afternoon, Idaho State Police was assisted by Jefferson County and Bonneville County Sheriff deputies in searching for the vehicle. Neither the suspect nor the vehicle were located during the search.

On June 10, at approximately 12:12 p.m., Idaho State Police was advised by Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office that a citizen reported locating the above vehicle, and also reported his red and white Honda motorcycle was stolen from the same location. At that time, the suspect was unknown and still at large.

On June 11, Logan City Police attempted to make a traffic stop on a motorcycle with no visible vehicle registration.

Timothy R. Mitchell, 43, of Heber City, Utah, fled from Logan City Police officers before crashing into a field. The Logan Police Department determined Mitchell was driving the above stolen Honda motorcycle.

Mitchell is facing charges in Utah, including possession of a stolen vehicle, being a felon in possession of a firearm, evading police officers and reckless driving. He was also charged with a felony warrant out of Minnesota for violating parole on a prior charge of strong-armed rape.

Mitchell will face multiple felony charges for crimes committed in Idaho as well.

Idaho State Police would like to thank the public for their assistance in the investigation of this crime. Multiple tips and reports were called in from citizens with credible information.

POCATELLO — Attorney General Lawrence Wasden has announced a Bannock County woman was sentenced Monday, June 10, for insurance fraud.

38-year-old Ana Rico-Dumont, of Pocatello, pleaded guilty on April 8.

Sixth District Court Judge Rick Carnaroli sentenced Rico-Dumont to three years felony probation and granted a withheld judgment. As part of her probation, she’s required to serve 100 hours of community service. The court also ordered Rico-Dumont to pay $839 in restitution to the Idaho Department of Insurance and $25 to Allstate.

Rico-Dumont lost her wedding ring while at work on July 17, 2016. Nine days later, Rico-Dumont added the ring to her Allstate renter’s policy. The ring had an appraised value of $15,200.

On September 3, 2016, she filed a claim alleging that she lost her wedding ring at work the previous week. An investigation later revealed Rico-Dumont had provided a false date of loss in an attempt to defraud Allstate into paying the claim.

Deputy Attorney General Jessica Cafferty in the Attorney General’s Special Prosecutions Unit prosecuted the case. The Idaho Department of Insurance investigated.

The following is a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Idaho.

BOISE — Rick Guyon, a/k/a Richard Guyon, a/k/a Rick Garrison, a/k/a Mark Thomas, 59, of Pocatello, was sentenced Tuesday in United States District Court, to 120 months in prison, for wire fraud, U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis announced.

U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge also ordered the defendant to pay $1,956,400 in restitution to the victims and to serve three years of supervised release after he is released from prison. Guyon pleaded guilty to the wire fraud offense on June 28, 2018.

According to court records, from 2015 through 2017, Guyon devised a scheme to defraud individual investors. The scheme involved soliciting $1,956,400 from investors based on false and fraudulent representations about Guyon’s education, employment history, and financial condition, false and fraudulent representations that the money would be invested in financial markets and that he would not collect any commissions on the investments. Once Guyon obtained the money, he spent it on personal expenses. To cover up what he had done, Guyon provided investors with false and fraudulent monthly account statements showing positive returns on investments.

According to court records, Guyon’s scheme to defraud investors (i) resulted in an actual loss of between $1,500,000 and $3,500,000; (ii) resulted in a substantial financial hardship to investor-victim R.F., who personally lost approximately $1,281,783 and (iii) involved the defendant acting as an organizer and leader of at least three other participants in the scheme.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

IDAHO FALLS — An Idaho Falls woman convicted of allowing two dogs to starve to death in 2015 has allegedly committed similar crimes again. Her daughter is also facing charges

Jeanette Diane Covert, 37, is charged with three counts of animal cruelty, one count of operating a kennel without a license, one count of failure to obtain or maintain rabies vaccination and a dog license violation.

According to court documents, “On June 3, animal control officers with the Idaho Falls Police department served a search warrant at Covert’s house on the 1000 block of Lovejoy Street. Animal control received a call from an informant claiming to have seen several dogs inside Covert’s home living in ‘deplorable conditions with no food or water.'”

The informant told the officer that in 2015, he pulled two badly decomposed dogs out of Covert’s house.

Covert was charged with allowing animals to go without care. Judge Stephen J. Clark placed Covert on two years of unsupervised probation. As part of probation, she was unable to own dogs for two years. Her probation ended in January 2018.

“He (the informant) told me Jeanette said that the probation was ‘bull****’ and she could own dogs,” according to court documents.

Earlier this month, animal control officers showed up to Covert’s home with a warrant and found her 19-year-old daughter, Amber Fox, holding a white Chihuahua named Jose. Jose was put into the animal control truck.

Officers entered the home where “the smell of urine and feces was horrific,” according to their report. Officers found some dog food and little to no water accessible to the animals.

A Rottweiler mix named Sparta, a black Lab mix named Remy and a Shepherd mix named Hades were inside the house.

“Remy and Hades smelled horribly of feces and Hades actually had feces caked into his paws and back legs,” according to court documents. “There were feces and urine all over the floor…and absolutely no food or water for these dogs.”

Officers asked Fox where a dog was buried in the backyard to which she said “which one,” according to court documents. Officers located a recently dug grave where a small black dog was located with a collar still around its neck.

According to court documents, a man came to the house and told officers the puppy died after eating drywall. He said the puppy threw up and acted sick before the death.

The animal control officers took the dogs to a veterinarian for exams. Doctors pointed out one of the dogs had a tense stomach from lack of food, according to court documents.

Officers cited Fox with animal cruelty, a dog license violation and failure to obtain or maintain a rabies vaccination.

Both Fox and Covert pleaded not guilty at their arraignment on Wednesday. Both defendants have pretrial conferences scheduled for July 11.

BOISE — Gloudina Robbertse, 50, of Meridian, was sentenced to 54 months in federal prison for filing false claims for disability benefits with the California Employment Disability Department (CEDD), U.S. Attorney Bart Davis announced.

Her daughter, Chantelle Robbertse, 24, a co-defendant in the case, was sentenced to 24 months for her role in the fraud scheme. U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge also ordered Gloudina and Chantelle Robbertse to pay $475,350.28 in restitution to the CEDD.

According to court records, while living in California, Gloudina and Chantelle Robbertse devised and executed a scheme to defraud the CEDD. They continued the scheme when they moved to Idaho in April 2017. Gloudina and Chantelle Robbertse filed false disability claims using the identity of real persons without their knowledge. Once the claims were approved by the CEDD, a debit card was issued in the name of the claimants being impersonated. Gloudina and Chantelle Robbertse used commercial mailboxes set up in California and Idaho to receive the debit cards. Thereafter, Gloudina and Chantelle withdrew money from the debit cards at banks in Idaho and California for their own personal financial gain.

“Identity theft disrupts lives, creates financial havoc and causes undue emotional stress for victims,” said Davis. “Those who callously defraud individuals will be prosecuted and punished. I commend the diligent efforts of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) for stopping these identity thieves in their tracks. The Court’s restitution order ensures any assets will go toward repairing the financial harm caused to the victims in this case.”

“It is widely believed that fraud cases are victimless crimes, but that could not be farther from the truth,” said Brad Bench, Special Agent in Charge of HSI Seattle. “These individuals stole money that was intended for people in need, some of which solely rely on government programs for life’s necessities. When someone’s identity is stolen it can take several years to correct the issue. Often times this leaves victims without the ability to obtain funds they desperately need, from programs meant to assist them, all while struggling to prove their own financial responsibility. Ultimately, victims and taxpayers bare the largest burden when crimes like this occur. HSI’s mission to bring these criminals to justice is instrumental to protecting the public and keeping these government programs intact.”

Gloudina Robbertse pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft on December 6, 2018. On that same day, Chantelle Robbertse pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated identity theft.

This case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations.

BLACKFOOT — A Bingham County man is in jail after he allegedly had sex with a girl when she was 15-years-old.

Kayler Wade Wilcox, 19, is charged with one felony count of lewd conduct with a child. If convicted of the charge, Wilcox could spend up to life in prison.

The parents of the victim asked Bingham County Sheriff deputies to speak with their daughter in October. The victim told detectives her relationship with Wilcox was just a friendship with occasional sex, according to court documents.

The victim told investigators the sexual relationship continued for about eight months. The victim says the last time Wilcox had sex with her was in September, according to court documents.

The victim says she and Wilcox discussed some fears over the age difference; however, “they just went on with it,” according to court documents.

Prosecutors charged Wilcox on June 7. He remains held in the Bingham County Jail on $25,000 bail.

A preliminary hearing for Wilcox is scheduled for June 20.

REXBURG — A judge sent an Idaho Falls man to prison Monday after he pleaded guilty to selling methamphetamine to a confidential informant last fall.

Prosecutors initially charged 37-year-old John William Harvey with three felony counts of delivery of a controlled substance. As part of a plea agreement, two of the charges were dismissed. District Judge Steven Boyce sentenced Harvey three to seven years in prison for the crime.

RELATED: Man wanted for crimes in Madison County arrested in Oregon

According to court documents, Harvey sold the meth on Sept. 11 to a confidential informant while officers with the Rexburg Police Department watched and listened through a wire. The sale took place at the Conoco gas station on University Boulevard.

Sgt. Issac Payne, spokesman for the Madison County Sheriff’s Office, told EastIdahoNews.com law enforcement arrested Harvey on March 30 in Oregon.

REXBURG — Two women wanted in South Dakota in connection to a homicide were arrested late Wednesday in eastern Idaho

Christina Haney, 22, and Martece Saddler, 30, are being held in the Madison County Jail as fugitives from justice. They have warrants out of Sioux Falls, South Dakota in reference to a shooting that left a man dead, Madison County Sgt. Issac Payne tells EastIdahoNews.com.

According to the Sioux Falls Police Department, material witness warrants for Saddler and Haney were issued Monday after three men were shot and one of them died.

On Tuesday, an arrest warrant for murder, manslaughter, attempted murder and aggravated assault was issued for 34-year-old Ramon Deron Smith. He is who the main suspect in the crime.

Idaho State Police Lt. Chris Weadick says they received a call around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday from law enforcement in Sioux Falls that Haney and Saddler were in eastern Idaho. Police discovered the two women were traveling on Interstate 15 on a Salt Lake Express van.

Troopers stopped the van around 11 p.m. just north of the Spencer exit and the women were taken into custody, Weadick says. They were then taken to the Madison County Jail, where they are awaiting extradition.

According to court documents obtained by KSFI in Sioux Falls, investigators believe Haney and Saddler were involved in a dispute through social media with another woman. A victim in the shooting told police a group of about eight men, including two of the victims, went into an apartment attempting to settle the dispute.

Larry Carr Jr. died Monday from gunshot wounds. Ramon remains at large on the warrant which carries a $1 million bond.

BOISE — (Idaho Statesman) In a deadpan voice, Ruben Diaz said, “I’m going to kill you, I’m going to kill you, I’m going to kill you,” while repeatedly stabbing a Boise stranger, the man testified in court Thursday.

Diaz appeared in Ada County court for a preliminary hearing after being stabilized at a state hospital until he was determined to be mentally competent for trial.

Gary Vinsonhaler, 76, of Boise, who was attacked in his front yard last November, testified Thursday. Diaz made almost no eye contact with the man, instead staring down at the table in front of him.

Diaz, 36, is charged with aggravated battery and misdemeanor resisting or obstructing police for allegedly stabbing the man multiple times after approaching Vinsonhaler while he was doing yardwork at his home in Southeast Boise.

RELATED: Man who stabbed stranger doing yardwork at Boise home found unfit to stand trial

Vinsonhaler suffered multiple slashes to his face and neck, including cuts across his mouth that chipped his teeth, severe damage to a facial nerve and cuts near his eyelids.

“I looked up once and all I could see was red because my eyes had filled with blood,” he testified. At that point, Vinsonhaler said he feared the attack had blinded him, but ultimately his vision wasn’t impaired.

Diaz was hospitalized in December after mental health experts deemed him unfit for trial. His competency has since been restored and he was returned to Ada County to prepare for trial.

Magistrate Judge James Cawthon presided over Diaz’s preliminary hearing Thursday.

Vinsonhaler testified that on the day he was attacked in his cul-de-sac on Preamble Place, he had gone outside to rake leaves when he saw a man, later identified as Diaz, walking down the street. Vinsonhaler said the man seemed “disoriented and confused,” and he initially wondered whether the man had wandered away from some kind of “convalescent” home. Vinsonhaler asked the man where he was going.

RELATED: Boise man accused of stabbing stranger was released from prison 4 months ago

“I was trying to help him and I knew he was disoriented, but as he came closer, I backed up,” Vinsonhaler testified. He said he wanted to keep about a 15-foot space between himself and Diaz, just to be safe. Because he wanted to remove himself from the situation, Vinsonhaler said he told the man that the garbage men would be along soon and they knew the neighborhood well, so they could help him.

Vinsonhaler said he walked into his backyard, through his patio door and into the house. He went into a bedroom and got on the computer to find the police department’s nonemergency phone number to report Diaz wandering, he said. Then he heard a noise.

“I looked out and I saw Ruben in the hallway,” he testified. “He just stood there.”

Vinsonhaler said he couldn’t remember whether he left the patio door open or not. He said his first thought was, “I’ve gotta get out of the house.”

“I said, ‘You don’t belong here, you need to leave,’” Vinsonhaler testified about confronting Diaz in the hall. “His response was, ‘No.’”

When Diaz didn’t move, Vinsonhaler brushed past him in the hall and walked out the front door. He said that within 10 feet of his front door, the attack began.

In addition to the facial injuries, Vinsonhaler suffered severe injuries to his hands from trying to fight off the blade. Those injuries resulted in surgeries to his hands and the joints in his fingers, leaving him with some permanent mobility damage.

Boise Police Department’s Brek Orton also testified Thursday; he was the first officer to arrive at the scene of the attack. Orton said the suspect was holding an 8- to 10-inch serrated knife.

Orton said Diaz immediately turned his attention to him and away from the victim when he arrived on scene. He testified that he ordered Diaz to drop his weapon and then drew his firearm.

“He was telling me to kill him or to shoot him, and at one point he licked the bloody knife,” Orton said.

Orton said both Diaz and the victim were “covered in blood.”

Ultimately, Orton used his left hand to deploy his Taser stun gun in an effort to get Diaz to drop his weapon. A second police officer arrived and also shocked Diaz with a stun gun. Orton said he then used a baton to strike Diaz in the forearm and to break the blade of the knife.

Prosecutors also brought forward a witness, Hailey Chavez, who works across the street from the victim’s home on Preamble Place. Chavez called 911 and told dispatchers that an older man was screaming for help and was covered in blood.

Chavez also recorded a video on her cellphone. The state submitted the video as evidence on Thursday.

After about three hours of testimony, Cawthon found probable cause to send Diaz’s case to District Court, where he will be arraigned at 9 a.m. June 25.

Diaz was initially charged with attempted murder, but on Thursday the prosecution amended the charges to felony aggravated battery with an enhancement for the use of a deadly weapon and misdemeanor obstructing police.

A history of mental illness and violence

Diaz had been released from prison just four months before the alleged attack and was on parole.

An Idaho Statesman investigation in December found that the parole commission knew that Diaz had a history of violence as a result of mental illness. He told a state parole commission that, when not medicated, he could lapse into delusions that other people were aliens.

Doctors diagnosed schizophrenia and autism in Diaz sometime before 2008, and he would stop taking his medication and threaten people with violence or attack them, according to court records. The parole commission agreed to release Diaz only into the custody of a facility that could monitor his medication.

Diaz was living in an assisted living facility, known as the Hancock House, only a few blocks from Vinsonhaler’s house.

This article was originally published in the Idaho Statesman. It is used here with permission.

IDAHO FALLS– Owners of a firework company came to prepare for customers this weekend and found their semi-trailer missing. But they’re unsure when it vanished.

“That’s what’s really, really hard is not knowing when it was actually taken,” Dragon Fireworks owner Sam Nelson says. “It’s a big semi that just disappeared.”

The semi contained everything needed for the firework business, including all of their marketing materials, inflatables, three booths, electrical equipment, lighting and more. It has a red, white, and blue banner with a sign that reads “Dragon Fireworks” and dragon artwork on the outside. Owners Melissa and Sam Nelson say there may be up to $20,000 worth of items missing.

“Just in marketing, it’s easily over $4,500,” Nelson says.

Typically firework stands for the 39-year-old family business are set up on Northgate Mile. Nelson says he has three booths, each costing upward of $3,000 to rebuild. Because of the missing booths and trailer, owners have a large shipment of fireworks coming in soon and have nowhere to house them.

“I’ve got a lot of fireworks that are showing up on Monday and Tuesday,” Nelson says. “I can’t cancel all the fireworks I have coming in.”

Owners Melissa and Sam Nelson, who formerly resided in the area, had left the semi in the care of a friend while away living in Boise. The semi was placed on his father-in-law’s property on Stanley Street. When the gentleman caring for the semi went to pick it up, he couldn’t find it.

“All my family has been out there looking for it,” Nelson says. “We’re here in Idaho Falls trying to figure out where do we go from here?”

So far, Nelson says he’s contacted the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office and reported the trailer missing or stolen.

“What I’d love to hear is that it was actually picked up,” Nelson says.

He’s hoping it was a misunderstanding with relators selling property next to the lot, or that maybe the trailer was impounded.

“I hope to get something figured out because as of right now I can’t change what happened. I’ve got to try to figure out what to do because I have so much inventory coming in,” Nelson says.

If anyone has information, contact the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office at (208) 529-1200.

Find the firework company on Facebook.

IDAHO FALLS — A Shelley man has been accused of trafficking drugs after police say they found around 900 grams (1.9 pounds) of liquid methamphetamine in his car.

Police reports show that the Idaho Falls Police Department stopped Daniel Santos, 34, on June 2 at around 11:45 p.m. When officers stopped Santos he told them he had a firearm on the floorboard of the car, according to court documents.

The officer noted in his report that the way the firearm was stored in the floor board was unusual, prompting him to call for backup. As backup arrived the officer had Santos step out of the vehicle, placing him into handcuffs. A second officer at the traffic stop said he saw meth in the car as he pulled a female passenger out.

In the drivers side door the officers found a glass pipe with about 15 grams of methamphetamine. Officers also discovered a cup containing a milky looking substance. A test of the liquid revealed a positive for meth. When officers weighed the liquid its total weight was 900.8 grams or about 1.9 pounds, according to court documents.

Additionally, police discovered a cigar with four grams of marijuana.

Officers transported Santos to the Bonneville County Jail. He posted a $50,000 bond on Monday.

Santos was charged with felony drug trafficking of meth, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and up life in prison if convicted. Court documents do not outline what happened to the woman after the traffic stop. She has not been charged in connection to the incident.

A preliminary hearing for Santos is scheduled for June 21.

IDAHO FALLS — An Idaho Falls man has been charged with felony involuntary manslaughter after a shooting incident on May 11.

Jose Antonio Ruiz-Juarez, 34, was arrested and booked into the Bonneville County Jail Monday.

RELATED: One man dead following weekend shooting incident in Bonneville County

Ruiz-Juarez allegedly shot and killed 23-year-old Michael Ephram with a gun in a “reckless, careless or negligent manner,” according to the criminal complaint.

It’s still not clear how the shooting occurred, however, the incident involved two separate groups shooting near 75th West in the area of the old National Guard Training Range. Both parties were target shooting in slightly different areas a few hundred feet apart, according to a Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office news release. One of the shots resulted in the death of Ephram.

Ruiz-Juarez is expected to make his initial court appearance Monday at 1 p.m.

If convicted of the charge Ruiz-Juarez could spend up to 10 years in prison.

EastIdahoNews.com will update this article as more details are released.

SHELLEY — For nearly half a decade nobody but a few family members knew 78-year-old Naoma Ware had died and was buried in her backyard.

But that changed Thursday when the Bingham County Sheriff’s Office arrested Ware’s grandson, 24-year-old Harley L. Howell. The arrest came after Howell told detectives he killed his grandmother in October 2014, left her in a closet and months later, buried her in her backyard, according to court documents obtained by EastIdahoNews.com.

The search for Ware began in December 2018 after her daughter, Danielle L. Howell, died in a car crash one month before. A woman emailed deputies after she tried to locate Ware and inform her of Danielle’s death. Investigators contacted the Social Security Administration and were told benefits were still being collected under Ware’s name, court documents say.

Detectives located the bank account where the Social Security benefits were deposited. Purchases on the account included grocery stores, power bills, internet bills and the post office. That investigation led them to interview the family members.

On May 1, Bingham County Sheriff detectives spoke with Harley Howell. He admitted to causing the death and gave several accounts about what happened to his grandmother, according to court documents.

“Harley said in one part of the interview, ‘I killed her,'” according to the affidavit of probable cause.

Howell told investigators that in October 2014, he pushed Ware down in her bedroom at their home at 1056 East 1100 North. He said he kicked her in the hip, causing Ware to moan in pain. Howell said he then shut the door, leaving Ware alone, according to court documents.

“Harley eventually told us Danielle (his now deceased mother) had found Mrs. Ware dead on the floor of her bedroom (in the fetal position),” according to a detectives report. “Harley said Danielle told him she did not want to get in trouble because of Mrs. Ware looking malnourished.”

Ultimately, the Howells allegedly stuffed Ware’s body in a closet, where she was left for about two months. Harley Howell told investigators when Ware’s body began to stink, he moved her to a shed in the backyard.

Howell told investigators his mother became worried the smell was becoming worse and the pair wondered what would happen when Doug Howell, Danielle’s husband and Harley’s father, would begin to use the shed. Ware’s body was reportedly placed in the crawl space for about two more weeks before being moved again, according to court documents.

“Harley said he then dragged Mrs. Ware to a duck pen behind the house where Danielle had started to dig a hole,” according to court documents. “Harley said he finished digging the hole and covered Mrs. Ware up with dirt.”

Howell showed detectives the location of Ware’s body, where human remains were located.

Howell also told detectives Douglas Howell kicked Ware in the hip, leaving her bedridden for about two months before she died. Doug Howell told investigators he got into an argument with Ware over having over 30 cats living in her bedroom, according to court documents.

Doug Howell was arrested on Thursday and charged with felony abuse and neglect of a vulnerable adult. If convicted, he could spend up to 10 years in prison.

Harley Howell is charged with felony abuse and neglect of a vulnerable adult along with felony failure to report a death. If convicted, he could spend up to 20 years in prison. A search of the court records shows neither men have prior felonies.

Bingham County Prosecutor Paul Rogers told EastIdahoNews.com the charges Doug and Harley face best fit the crime even though detectives had requested a manslaughter charge.

Both men posted $1,000 bond and were released Friday.

A preliminary hearings for both men is scheduled for June 27 at the Bingham County Courthouse.

The following is a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Idaho.

BOISE — Vaudencia Ceballos Hamilton, 55, of Hesperia, California, and Matthew Lee Sedillo, 30, of Eagle, Idaho, were sentenced to federal prison for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl resulting in death, U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis announced.

Chief U.S. District Judge Nye sentenced Hamilton to 240 months in prison and ordered that she pay a $100,000 fine. On the same day, Senior U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge sentenced Sedillo to 121 months in prison. Both defendants, upon completion of their prison time, were ordered to serve an additional three years of supervised release.

According to court records, on August 14, 2017, Dominico Stewart of Nampa, was found dead in an alleyway. A toxicology report showed that Stewart had a lethal dose of methamphetamine and fentanyl in his system. The coroner determined that Stewart died of a methamphetamine overdose.

Investigators learned that, just before his death, Stewart had met with Ryan Curtis, a methamphetamine dealer living in Nampa. Curtis had begun distributing what he called “China White”, a common street name for either pure heroin or a mixture of heroin and fentanyl. Curtis gave Stewart a sample of “China White” and asked that Stewart try the substance while Curtis was present so that Stewart understood how potent the drug was.

Shortly after Stewart ingested the substance, he collapsed. Instead of calling emergency services or seeking help for Stewart, Curtis tried to revive Stewart on his own through several different methods, including injecting Stewart with methamphetamine. Ultimately, Stewart died. Curtis did not notify law enforcement of the death, but attempted to conceal his role in Stewart’s death by dumping Stewart’s body in an alleyway in Nampa.

The investigation into Stewart’s death led them not only to Ryan Curtis, but ultimately to a drug trafficking organization that was distributing methamphetamine and fentanyl in the Treasure Valley. Matthew Sedillo, Herman Sedillo, and Vaudencia Hamilton were all part of a trafficking organization that distributed the drugs that caused Dominico Stewart’s death. Matthew Sedillo worked with his father, Herman Sedillo to transport controlled substances from their source of supply in California, Vaudencia Hamilton. Once in Idaho, they distributed the drugs to others, including Ryan Curtis. As a result of the investigation, officers were able to seize 852.6 grams of methamphetamine and 957.8 grams of fentanyl.

These cases were investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Nampa Police Department.

These indictments are the result of a joint investigation by the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The OCDETF program is a federal multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to federal and state agencies. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply. Program participants include the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Drug Enforcement Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations; Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation; and the U.S. Marshals Service.

These cases were prosecuted by the Special Assistant U.S. Attorney hired by the Ada County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office and the Idaho High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Board. The Idaho High Intensity Drug Trafficking Board is a collaboration of local law enforcement drug task forces and prosecuting agencies dedicated to addressing regional drug trafficking organizations that operate in Ada and Canyon County.

IDAHO FALLS — An Idaho Falls man didn’t know he had shot another man in the head until a bystander frantically ran over and told him the devastating news.

That’s according to court documents obtained by EastIdahoNews.com.

Jose Antonio Ruiz-Juarez, 34, is charged with felony involuntary manslaughter in connection to the May shooting of Michael A. Ephram.

The incident happened after Ephram, his wife, two children and brother-in-law arrived at a rural Bonneville County property along Highway 20 on May 11. Ephram and his brother-in-law took turns shooting and after about 15 minutes, they heard gunshots from the south. They thought it was “really close,” according to court documents.

Ephram and his brother-in-law were standing outside of their GMC Yukon while Ephram’s wife and children sat inside. Around 6:40 p.m., one of the SUV windows shattered and Ephram fell to the ground bleeding from the head.

Ephram’s brother-in-law ran to where the shooting was coming from and encountered 34-year-old Jose Antonio Ruiz-Juarez, his girlfriend and five children. They were shooting a borrowed semi-automatic rifle, according to court documents.

RELATED: One man dead following weekend shooting incident in Bonneville County

Ephram’s wife dialed 911 and the group loaded the bleeding man into the SUV, rushing him to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center. Paramedics met the group near 35th West and West Broadway Street and took Ephram to the ER where he was pronounced dead.

Ruiz-Juarez told detectives he was shooting at a log sticking out from an old bunker and he fired anywhere from five to 10 shots.

“In this position when Jose was shooting to the east, he was shooting in an upward trajectory,” according to detectives in their report. “Jose would have been unable to see what was on the other side of the hill.”

Detectives parked their Chevy Tahoe in the position of Ephram’s SUV and noted the difficulty in seeing the vehicle from where Ruiz-Juarez had been shooting due to dense sagebrush.

“In interviews with Jose, he admitted to shooting in the direction where Ephram’s family was parked,” according to court documents. “He never saw anyone until (Ephram’s brother-in-law) came up the hill waving his arms and he did not intend to hurt anyone.”

Ruiz-Juarez is scheduled to appear for his next court hearing on June 28.

If convicted of the charge Ruiz-Juarez could spend up to 10 years in prison.

IDAHO FALLS — A 32-year-old Idaho Falls man is accused of sex crimes against two teenage girls half his age.

Abundio Perez-Resendiz is charged with felony sexual battery by lewd acts on a child and felony enticing a child through the internet or other communication device. If convicted, he could spend up to life in prison.

The first victim, a 16-year-old relative of Perez-Resendiz, told Idaho Falls Police in February that he sexually molested her since she was 10. The victim said in October the molesting turned into him forcing her to have sex frequently. The victim said the last time Perez-Resendiz forced her to have sex was the week before speaking to police, according to court documents obtained by EastIdahoNews.com.

The victim said Perez-Resendiz threatened her relationships would be compromised if she did not have sex with him.

Police had the victim confront Perez-Resendiz on the phone to which he “had admitted to the rape,” according to court documents. He allegedly further threatened the victim her relationships would fall apart if she told anyone.

“Abundio cautioned that he would go to jail for his entire life if this was disclosed,” according to a detective’s report.

Police officers arrested Abundio near his home on North Yellowstone Avenue in Idaho Falls after conducting a traffic stop. Days after the arrest, a second victim came forward to police after the first victim told her Perez-Resendiz sexually abused her.

The second victim, also 16 years old, told police Perez-Resendiz sent her inappropriate messages in October. This victim told detectives she felt uncomfortable when Perez-Resendiz would touch her. This victim said Perez-Resendiz sent her the messages in Spanish, asking if she knew what sex was and how to do it. Though she couldn’t understand everything he said in Spanish, the victim said he offered to teach her how to have sex and use a condom.

Police searched the victim’s phone and found 1,189 messages between her and Perez-Resendiz. In the messages, Perez-Resendiz asked the victim if she had a boyfriend, to which she replied no, according to court documents.

“He told her that she was very pretty for not having a boyfriend,” according to court documents.

The messages continued through November and Perez-Resendiz allegedly continued to ask the victim to have sex and sleep together. During interviews with detectives, Perez-Resendiz admitted to sending inappropriate messages and would talk to the victim about sex.

He never did have sex with the second victim, according to court documents.

Jury trials for the two cases are scheduled for Aug. 14 and Aug. 27 at the Bonneville County Courthouse. Perez-Resendiz remains held in the Bonneville County Jail on a combined $65,000 bond.

SALMON — A Salmon man is facing a felony charge after tree-trimers say he pointed a gun with a laser sight at them.

Mark Henry Mccollum, 47, was arraigned Tuesday on a charge of felony aggravated assault. If convicted, he could spend up to five years in prison and pay up to a $5,000 fine.

A Salmon Police officer got a report on April 10, around 11 a.m., of a man pointing a gun at tree-trimmers with Trees LLC.

The workers said they got into their truck to fill out paperwork, and one of them noticed a green laser light on the head of a co-worker. He said he looked in the direction the laser came from and saw a man pointing a gun at them from a nearby house. The workers told the officer they felt threatened, packed up their equipment and left the area.

The officer knocked on the front door of the house, and Mccollum answered the door. The officer asked him if he had any guns in the house to which Mccollum said “just an AR,” according to court documents.

Mccollum admitted to pointing the gun at the tree-trimmers while looking through the scope, police said.

“Mccollum stated that … he was just looking through the scope at workers, and he didn’t have any intent to hurt them,” the report reads.

Officers found a Colt AR-15 with a green laser sight, scope and fixed bayonet on the wall. Mccollum turned it over to the officers, who arrested him. Attached to the gun was a magazine containing 20 rounds of .223 ammunition, according to court documents.

He was transported to the Lemhi County Jail, where he posted a $20,000 bond.

Mccollum is scheduled for a jury trial Sept. 18.

REXBURG — Police are looking for a person if interest in the theft of textbooks from Brigham Young University-Idaho.

Capt. Gary Hagen of the Rexburg Police Department said Thursday that a man took about 10 textbooks worth $1,600 from a professor’s office on campus around May 31.

If you know anything about the theft, contact the Rexburg Police Department at (208) 359-3008.

BOISE (Idaho Statesman)– Meridian police arrested three people early Wednesday morning on charges stemming from an alleged drug-related beating, according to a Thursday news release from the Meridian Police Department.

According to the release, police responded to St. Luke’s hospital in Meridian shortly after 7 a.m. Wednesday in response to a report of a battery with the suspects still on-scene. A 45-year-old man told hospital staff that he had been “pistol whipped” — hit with a gun — after selling fake heroin to a Boise man.

The victim told police he’d sold the fake drugs to Justin Smith, 31. Smith, accompanied by 26-year-old Tommy Eyton, of Boise, and 21-year-old Jasmine Warren, of Horseshoe Bend, reportedly took the victim in their truck to find real heroin after realizing the drugs Smith had purchased were fake.

“Eventually, Smith became frustrated and pistol whipped (the victim), opening a laceration in his head requiring medical treatment,” the Meridian news release said. “The victim eventually separated from the group and his girlfriend drove him to the hospital, where the other three showed up looking for the victim.”

Police found Smith, Warren and Eyton at the hospital, according to the news release. Officers said Smith initially posed as his brother to avoid being arrested on an outstanding warrant for felony possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Officers searched the group’s vehicle and attached utility trailer with a K-9 unit, where they found buprenorphine, a prescription opioid that is a schedule-III controlled substance, as well as alprazolam, a schedule-IV prescription benzodiazepine, under Eyton’s seat.

Police also found .95 grams of what they believe to be heroin near both Eyton’s and Warren’s seats. Both individuals told officers they’d used heroin earlier in the day.

The search also turned up “a copious amount of drug paraphernalia, to include scales, packaging material, syringes, smoking devices, a marijuana grinder, etc.,” the news release said. “These items were located near the aforementioned and/or contained in the personal effects of Smith, Eyton and Warren.”

Additionally, officers found a .22-caliber pistol in a toolbox located in the utility trailer. They believe the gun was used in the beating of the 45-year-old victim.

All three suspects were arrested and taken to Ada County Jail, where they remained on Thursday morning.

Smith was arrested on the outstanding warrant charges, as well as four new charges: felony aggravated battery, felony aggravated assault, misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia and misdemeanor providing false information to law enforcement. He was scheduled to be arraigned on Thursday at 1:30 p.m. for the outstanding warrant, according to court documents.

Eyton faces five charges: three felony counts of possession of a controlled substances, as well as misdemeanor counts of possessing drug paraphernalia and controlled substances. He was scheduled to be arraigned at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday.

Warren is charged with felony possession of a controlled substance and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia. She was also scheduled be arraigned at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, court documents show.

The victim was not identified in the news release.

This article was originally published in the Idaho Statesman. It is used here with permission.

(CNN) — For hours, the barrage of gunfire just wouldn’t stop.

Sacramento police Officer Tara O’Sullivan lay on the ground bleeding as gunshots echoed and her colleagues tried to get to her. The suspect fired incessantly, preventing officers from reaching her for at least 45 minutes, authorities said.

O’Sullivan, 26, and her fellow officers had gone to a home in Sacramento after a disturbance call Wednesday and were helping a woman gather her belongings when a man opened fire, Police Chief Daniel Hahn said.

Armed with what appeared to be a high-powered rifle, police said, the suspect blasted rounds every time he saw movement — at least 30 times over the next four hours. To fend him off, officers fired back more than 100 rounds, Hahn said.

Police vehicles, ballistic vests and ballistic shields were no match for the hail of bullets, so police requested an armored vehicle to rescue O’Sullivan as she lay in the backyard with fatal gunshot wounds.

By the time they got to her, it was too late. The tense standoff and dangerous rescue ended with a suspect in custody and an officer down.

O’Sullivan had recently graduated from the police academy and was scheduled to be on her own in a few weeks.

“She was helping a woman get away from an environment she didn’t want to be in and helping her get her belongings,” Hahn told reporters Friday. “She paid the ultimate sacrifice to do that.”

Police called for backup after finding weapons

The incident started with a disturbance call at 11:43 a.m. local time and dragged on for hours.

When officers arrived at the home, they found the front door barricaded, Sacramento police Sgt. Vance Chandler said. O’Sullivan and her training officer learned the man also had a connection to the house next door, so they went there to try to contact him and get the woman’s possessions. He wasn’t there, Chandler said, but they found two firearms.

The two officers called for backup, and three additional officers responded.

The woman told the officers she also had belongings in the detached garage at the back of the yard. Not knowing where the suspect was and if he was armed, the five officers approached the garage together.

Body camera footage released Friday shows the lead officer entering the doorway of the garage.

“Police Department. If you’re in here let me know,” the officer called out. “You’re not in trouble, dude.”

Shots rang out and the standoff dragged on. Officers finally went to the house with the woman at 5:41 p.m.

The suspect allegedly had weapons all over the house

What followed was a more than four-hour standoff.

As the officers approached the garage in the back, the suspect remained in the main house, where police later found four weapons: two assault rifles, a handgun and a shotgun, Chandler said. The weapons were placed strategically throughout the house, he added, and police later found casings throughout the home.

The suspect also had multiple cameras around the house, and likely used them to watch police movements, he said.

Hahn described it as an ambush.

“It is clear by the suspect’s actions that he was intent on murdering additional officers and was taking action to do just that, repeatedly shooting at officers throughout much of this incident,” he said.

The rescue: Officers carry her through gunfire

As the bullets flew, O’Sullivan remained in the yard, still in the line of fire.

When the armored vehicle arrived 14 minutes after it was requested, officers at the scene had to figure out how to maneuver the vehicle through a pole, chain link fence and a wood fence to get to her, police said.

Once they got close to O’Sullivan, an officer jumped out and fired at the suspect while the others ran out to pull her inside the vehicle, Chandler said. While they backed out of the scene, the armored car “became disabled,” Chandler said. The officers carried her to the patrol car and drove her to the hospital.

After hours of negotiations, the suspect surrendered.

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