IDAHO FALLS — An Idaho Falls man was sentenced to prison for sexually abusing two girls under the age of 16.

Jordan Corona-Guerrero, 22, appeared in court Wednesday for a sentencing and status conference for two sex cases. In the first case, Corona-Guerrero was charged with lewd conduct with a child for an incident involving a then 5-year-old girl. In the second case, he was charged with rape of a then 15-year-old girl.

District Judge Bruce Pickett sentenced Corona-Guerrero to between five and 30 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to lewd conduct with a child. As part of a plea agreement, prosecutors dropped the rape charge and the victim of the rape case was added to the lewd conduct case. Bonneville County prosecutors said because the rape victim was under 16 and Corona was 18-years-old at the time of the sexual assault the crime could be charged as either rape or lewd conduct.

According to court documents obtained by EastIdahoNews.com, the 5-year-old girl’s mother told investigators Corona-Guerrero inappropriately touched her in August 2018. While in interviews with police Corona-Guerrero continually denied the abuse. A therapist for Corona-Guerrero contacted authorities in September 2018 after he disclosed sexually abusing the child.

RELATED: Idaho Falls man allegedly rapes woman after she repeatedly tells him no

While at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center Corona-Guerrero told detectives he had used meth before touching the girl. At some point, after his arrest, Corona-Guerrero was confined to State Hospital South in Blackfoot where he disclosed information regarding the second, 15-year-old victim. He said he was also using meth at the time of that sexual assault.

According to court documents, Corona-Guerrero had known the victim before the incident. It was sometime in January 2015 when he arrived at the victim’s home. She opened the door and let Corona-Guerrero inside. “She said that Jordan wanted to have sex with her. She said that she told him no many times,” according to an affidavit of probable cause.

Corona-Guerrero allegedly ignored the victim’s wishes and sexually assaulted her as she cried and continued to tell him no. She was finally able to push Corona-Guerrero off her, according to court documents.

After being released, Corona-Guerrero will be required to register as a sex offender. Additionally, Pickett ordered Corona-Guerrero to pay $1,045.50 in fees and fines.

(CNN) — The married couple accused of killing a 72-year-old man and then escaping while being transported from New York to Arizona were recaptured after a tip that they were hiding out with an acquaintance on federal probation for selling meth, the US Marshals Service said Thursday.

Blane and Susan Barksdale were located and arrested by a team of Navajo County Sheriff’s deputies and US Marshals in the remote community of Punkin Center, northeast of Phoenix, US Marshal for the District of Arizona David Gonzales told reporters.

RELATED: A couple facing murder charges overpowered two guards and escaped in Utah, police say

Their acquaintance came out first, followed by a sobbing Susan Barksdale, who told authorities her husband Blane was still inside the home, Gonzales said.

Blane Barksdale then stepped outside and initially responded to commands before becoming “verbally abusive to the officers, flipping them the bird, not responding to their commands, and deputy marshals at the scene had to use a Taser and what we call a bean bag round in the leg to take him down,” Gonzales said.

Barksdale was cooperative until he got about 15 feet from officers, Assistant Chief Deputy US Marshal Van Bayless said. He was taken down after being verbally abusive and making “pretty aggressive movements,” Bayless said.

The arrests ended a 16-day manhunt by authorities, who received hundreds of tips, including the one that led officers to the isolated modular home near Tonto National Forest, Gonzales said.

Once in custody, Barksdale told Bayless that he “didn’t choose wisely with his actions.”

“He admitted to me in the jail that he brought it on himself and that was his fault, and we’re all doing our job and he has nothing but respect for law enforcement,” Bayles said at a news conference. “On the way out, he told a trooper and myself, ‘Be safe out, it’s dangerous.”

Several people are under investigation for allegedly assisting couple during their time on the run, officials said.

The Barkdales have an initial appearance in Tucson Thursday afternoon on an unlawful flight to avoid prosecution charge, which will be dismissed, Gonzales said.

The couple will then be turned over to Tucson police for booking into Pima County jail in connection with the homicide.

The Navajo County Sheriff’s Office announced the arrests on its Facebook page late Wednesday.

Blane Barksdale had been on the Marshals Service’s list of the 15 most wanted fugitives since Monday.

RELATED: Married couple accused of murder had an 8-hour head start after Utah escape, authorities say

“Persons placed on the US Marshals top 15 list are usually career criminals with histories of violence, and whose incident offenses pose a significant threat to public safety,” Gonzales said Monday. “Blane Barksdale has the dubious distinction of fulfilling that requirement.”

The couple escaped custody in late August as they were being extradited on charges of arson, burglary and murder in connection with the death of a Vietnam veteran in Tuscon, Arizona. They used a medical emergency to get the guards to pull over and then threw them in the back of the van, Gonzales said.

While on the run, they might have been getting help from white supremacists, Gonzales said at a news conference Monday.

“Somebody like Blane in prison — with both local — with both state and federal prison, would be associated with Aryan Brotherhoods, white supremacist gangs. So those are the type of individuals we think that might be assisting,” Gonzales said.

The crime

In April, police responded to a fire that led to an explosion at Vietnam veteran Frank Bligh’s home.

But he and his vehicle were nowhere to be found, and investigators discovered evidence the fire was set intentionally and that Bligh had been killed, Tucson police said.

On May 1, an arrest warrant was issued for the Barksdales on charges including first-degree murder, first-degree burglary, arson and auto theft, police said.

But the Barksdales had fled the state, sparking a nationwide search. They were found in Henrietta, New York, a suburb of Rochester, and arrested without incident on May 24.

Bligh’s brother said the victim was good friends with Susan Barksdale but she had changed since meeting her new husband.

CNN was not able to identify an attorney for the couple.

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BOISE (Idaho Statesman) — A former candidate for Idaho governor says he is under investigation in the killing of a 12-year-old girl in Colorado 35 years ago.

Authorities last week searched the Twin Falls home of 68-year-old Steve Pankey, serving him a warrant that said investigators had probable cause to believe he kidnapped and killed Jonelle Matthews in 1984.

Jonelle was reported missing from her home in Greeley, north of Denver, on Dec. 20, 1984, after returning from performing a Christmas concert with her classmates, according to the Denver Post. At the time, Pankey and his former wife lived about 2 miles away.

Pankey, a 2014 Constitution Party candidate for governor who also ran in the 2018 Republican primary, disclosed the investigation this week in interviews with the Idaho Statesman. The search, Pankey said, came about a month after he gave police a DNA sample.

Pankey told the Statesman on Thursday that he was shocked when police searched his home. The Twin Falls Police Department verified Thursday that it had executed the warrant on Wednesday, Sept. 4, at Pankey’s condo in the 300 block of Elm Street North.

A SWAT team arrived, rifles in hand, to search his cars and his condo, and the team seized his electronic devices and financial documents, Pankey said.

Though Jonelle was reported missing in 1984, it wasn’t until July 23 of this year that her body was found, according to Greeley police.

A construction crew found remains while excavating in rural Weld County, which includes Greeley, for a pipeline. Once her remains were identified, the police department issued a news release saying that the case was now a homicide investigation.

Since Jonelle’s disappearance, Pankey said, investigators have asked multiple times to talk to him about her. He said he has repeatedly told them that he won’t speak without his attorney.

The Statesman reached out to the Greeley Police Department for comment on Thursday and did not receive an immediate response. The department issued a statement Friday in which it called Pankey “a person of interest in the murder investigation of Jonelle Matthews.”

Pankey said he wants his story to be heard in case he is arrested. As of Thursday, no criminal charges had been filed.

Pankey’s story

Pankey said he had brushes with the law in Colorado before Jonelle’s disappearance that led police to mistrust him.

He said he moved to Greeley in 1973. In 1977, when he was 26, he was accused of what he called “date rape” by a 23-year-old woman he was seeing.

He maintains the sex was consensual. He was criminally charged, but the charge was later dismissed by prosecutors.

At the time, Pankey was a youth minister at Sunny View Church of the Nazarene in Greeley. Pankey said he had gone to church with many people who knew Jonelle Matthews’ family, but he did not. After being charged, he left the position.

Pankey said he had a bad relationship with Greeley authorities afterward. “Once you’re accused of something like date rape, you’re forever stigmatized,” he said.

He said he was charged over his years in Colorado with as many as 20 other “arbitrary” misdemeanors, such as battery and harassment by phone, and went to trial multiple times. He said he “won” all the trials.

The Statesman could not immediately verify that. Colorado courts do not have an online records system, so the Statesman on Thursday requested via U.S. mail copies of Pankey’s criminal charges in Weld County.

On the night Jonelle went missing, Pankey said, he was home with his then-wife. His 1980 Toyota Corolla was packed to visit family in California for the Christmas holiday. They planned to leave at 5 a.m. the next day for the drive to Big Bear Lake to visit his parents.

They returned to Colorado on Dec. 26, 1984, he said, and heard the news of a missing child on the radio.

“I never met Jonelle, I never met her family, I didn’t know she existed or disappeared until Wednesday, Dec. 26 (1984),” Pankey said.

But he said he met with an FBI agent at the Greeley police station shortly after he returned, because he heard from his father-in-law, who worked for a cemetery, that someone had asked about getting rid of a body. The comments made him suspicious given Jonelle’s disappearance, he said, so he reported them to the FBI rather than to local police.

Pankey said he left Greeley in 1987 and hasn’t been back to Colorado since.

And except for that meeting with the FBI, Pankey said he has never been formally interviewed by police about Jonelle’s disappearance, although they have tried. Pankey said two Greeley detectives came to his condo around Aug. 15 and asked to interview him, but he told them that he would speak to them only if his attorney was present. The detectives then left.

A few days later, on Aug. 19, he said, law enforcement asked him for a DNA sample, and he gave it.

Pankey said he also has volunteered to take a polygraph test.

Why Pankey says he’s talking

Pankey told the Statesman he was sure that after police had his DNA, they would stop investigating him. He was surprised when they didn’t.

So, Pankey said, he decided to speak publicly now, because of his concerns about law enforcement’s ideas about him, and because he is a public figure in light of his runs for office.

He gave the Statesman a copy of the search warrant, signed on Sept. 3 by Idaho Magistrate Judge Calvin Campbell.

“I’m trying to be transparent,” he said. “… I have nothing to hide.”

Pankey said he has great empathy for the Matthews family. Pankey’s youngest son, Carl, a 20-year-old college student, was shot and killed by his girlfriend in 2008 in Phoenix.

IDAHO FALLS — An Idaho Falls woman was arrested Monday after police found a 2-year-old boy severely abused with bite marks on his body.

Police learned the 2-year-old boy was covered in bruises, scrapes and bite marks at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center, according to an affidavit of probable cause. Heather Hillock, 28, the boy’s mother, is charged with felony injury child for allegedly causing the injuries.

An officer writes in his report that when he confronted Hillock about the injuries, she said the child “harms himself.” Hillock reportedly told the officer the boy throws himself into a dresser, off a highchair and down the stairs. She said that around 3 a.m., the boy fell on some concrete steps, scraped his face and hit his head. After some time, the boy was “not acting right,” so she took the boy to a friend’s house.

Hillock told police the boy began making “weird noises” on the way, prompting her to turn around and find the boy having a seizure. She said she got scared, called 911 and then an ambulance took the boy to EIRMC.

“While speaking with Heather, she admitted that the bruising on (the boy’s) legs and buttocks was due to her spanking him,” the officer writes. “Heather said that she only ever spanked him with her hands and never any other objects.”

Police did not believe Hillock’s story, arrested her and took her to the Bonneville County Jail. She later told officers she lied about what happened to the boy, according to court documents.

Court documents report Hillock said she pinned the boy in the backseat of the car after he was disrespectful to her friend. She said she covered the boys mouth and nose, stopping his ability to breathe for about 30 seconds. Hillock told officers the boy became unconscious after the incident.

“After this, (the friend) pulled him out of the vehicle and started CPR,” the probable cause reads. “Heather said she left and then called 911.”

Hillock said the bite marks came from her biting the child to stop him from biting her.

Officers reviewed the condition of the home where Hillock and the boy lived, calling it “quite unsafe for children,” and lacking working plumbing.

If convicted, Hillock could spend up to 10 years in prison. She remains in the Bonneville County Jail on a $50,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is set for Sept. 24.

The child is in the custody of Child Protective Services.

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. — A report from the Associated Press indicates two men are facing criminal charges for walking over the Old Faithful Geyser in Yellowstone National Park.

Kimberly Guilliams observed the two men peering into the geyser Tuesday, Sept. 10 and posted photos to her Facebook page.

“We were in total disbelief and the complete stupidity of these guys,” she writes on Facebook. “They were caught, reports were filed and I submitted photos to the park ranger.”

Walking over the geyser is dangerous and illegal. Old Faithful erupts with boiling hot water about once every hour.

The men have been summoned to appear in federal court, the AP reports. They haven’t identified the two men.

Several people have been cited over the years for wandering onto Yellowstone’s most famous geyser. Several others have been seriously burned by falling or stepping into the park’s thermal features.

SODA SPRINGS — A Utah man who robbed Ireland Bank in March was sent to prison Friday.

District Judge Mitchell W. Brown sentenced 37-year-old Kevin Model Martinez to five to 10 years in prison for felony robbery.

According to an affidavit of probable cause obtained by EastIdahonews.com, Martinez wore Ray Bans sunglasses and a disguise when he robbed the bank March 25. He handed the teller a note demanding cash and fled the bank with $3,627.84.

An investigator wrote in his report that surveillance cameras captured Martinez running from the bank with cash in a backpack. Cameras showed him driving eastbound on U.S. Highway 30 in a 2006 white Nissan Murano and the license plate on the vehicle led investigators to contact authorities in Utah.

RELATED: Police make arrest in Soda Springs bank robbery case

On March 31 at 2 a.m., Soda Springs Police detectives were called by officers in the West Valley Police Department saying they were transporting Martinez to Jordan Valley West Medical Center for treatment. Soda Springs Police Chief Scott Shaw and other officers drove to Utah to find Martinez coming off of a “meth bender,” according to court documents.

When police spoke with Martinez about visiting Soda Springs, he said it had been a while and asked for an attorney. A search warrant on Martinez’s vehicle was obtained and investigators found the Ray Bans sunglasses, several receipts, including one from a convenience store in Malad, and other clothing worn during the robbery.

One receipt led officers to watch surveillance video at a Target in Salt Lake City where Martinez was in the same clothes he wore during the robbery.

RELATED: Suspect identified in Soda Spring bank robbery

Martinez was arrested in Salt Lake City on April 3 and extradited to the Caribou County Jail days to face the felony robbery charge. He signed a plea agreement on July 12 and in exchange, prosecutors agreed not to forward the case to federal court.

Brown also ordered Martinez to pay $1,345.50 in fines and $3,627.84 in restitution to the bank. Defense Attorney Samuel James said Martinez had the check ready to reimburse the bank.

IDAHO FALLS — An Idaho Falls woman who was passed out in a van while her toddler cried was arrested after spitting in an officer’s face, say police.

According to an affidavit of probable cause obtained by EastIdahoNews.com, on Sept. 4, a neighbor discovered 27-year-old Shakeyra Kohler’s 2-year-old child screaming while Kohler sat passed out in a van.

The neighbor told police the toddler screamed for about 20 minutes before she found Kohler in the front seat with both doors open. The toddler, then on top of Kohler and “crying uncontrollably,” did not awaken the unresponsive mother. The neighbor felt concerned for the safety of the toddler, took her to their home and called 911.

With officers’ flashlights in her face, Kohler eventually woke up. When asked about her kids, she was unable to answer if she had a 2-year-old child. Police told her the neighbor took the toddler, and Kohler became upset, officers wrote in their report.

When the officer tried to arrest Kohler for injury to child, the situation escalated.

“I attempted to grab Shakeyra’s arm to lead her to a police car when she pulled away and smashed her head into the window,” the officer wrote in the police report. “I pull(ed) Shakeyra away from the door, and she pulled back and forth, causing my body camera to break.”

When the officer told Kohler she broke the camera, she said several expletives and spat in the officers face, according to court documents.

Kohler admitted to taking two medications, Suboxone and Clozapine, and “simply fell asleep,” according to the affidavit of probable cause.

When officers searched the van, they found tubes with an unknown residue. The find is consistent with someone snorting or smoking the substance, police say.

“Shakeyra’s actions led a total stranger to take (the toddler) from her, and it was the only happenstance that (the neighbor) was acting as a good Samaritan that prevented (the toddler) bring in grave danger or worse,” an officer writes in the report.

Officers became worried about the child’s wellbeing, called Child Protective Services, arrested Kohler and transported her to the Bonneville County Jail.

Kohler is charged with misdemeanor injury to child, and felony assault or battery on a police officer.

She remains held on $30,000 bail and is scheduled for a preliminary hearing Sept. 20.

DRIGGS — A St. Anthony man accused of a violent rape in Teton County two years ago pleaded guilty Tuesday.

Chet K. Neilson, 31, was arrested just over three weeks ago, and on Tuesday he pleaded guilty to felony rape during his arraignment. He admitted guilt as part of a plea agreement reached during a mitigation hearing on Sept. 5. As part of the agreement, Teton County Prosecutor Billie Siddoway dropped a felony battery charge and felony enhancement of infliction of great bodily injury.

Other than a few soft-spoken responses to the judge, Neilson was mostly silent during the hearing. He did offer an admission, however.

“I did forcefully hold her down and had unconsensual (sic) sex with her,” Neilson told Judge Steven Boyce in court.

Court documents obtained by EastIdahoNews.com show Neilson raped a woman in the early hours of Aug. 4, 2017, as she walked in the Victor City park after attending Music on Main. The victim did not know who her attacker was but described him to detectives as a Caucasian male in his mid-20s to mid-30s wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt, had no facial hair and had a “buzz cut.”

RELATED: How used chewing tobacco linked a man to a violent rape

Evidence from the sexual assault exam was sent to the Idaho State Police Forensic Lab, and investigators obtained multiple samples of the suspect’s sperm on parts of her body and a NuvaRing, a birth control device worn in a woman’s vagina.

Two years later, on Aug. 17, Teton County Sheriff Detective Sgt. Andrew Foster received a lead identifying Neilson as a possible suspect. Court documents do not indicate what that lead was.

Around 6 a.m. on Aug. 20, Foster, along with Idaho State Police and the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office, began a surveillance operation to collect a DNA sample from Neilson. Investigators obtained used chewing tobacco spit from Neilson’s mouth and sent that sample to the ISP lab in Boise for testing.

“The sperm cell sample from the sex assault kit matched the DNA sample obtained from Neilson. This DNA profile is at least 163 octillion times more likely to be seen if Chet Neilson is the source than if an unrelated individual randomly selected from the general population is the source,” court documents state.

RELATED: Man charged with violently raping woman in park being held on $250,000 bond

Deputies arrested Neilson on Aug. 23 at his job in Teton County and took him to the Madison County Jail, which houses inmates for Teton County.

Rape in Idaho holds a minimum sentence of one year, but Neilson could spend up to life in prison. The plea agreement stipulates both the defense and prosecution are free to argue on sentencing.

Siddoway, the prosecutor, was not available for comment.

Neilson will likely have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

CHALLIS — Benjamin J. Savage, the Challis man who shot, killed, burned and buried Charles “Charlie” McBride, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder Monday.

This came as part of a plea agreement made with Custer County Prosecutor Justin Oleson to recommend a shorter prison sentence. Savage was charged with first-degree murder in March after the 36-year-old called Custer County Sheriff Stu Lumpkin and told him he knew where McBride’s body was.

RELATED: Murder suspect told sheriff where to find missing man’s body, documents say

In the plea agreement obtained by EastIdahoNews.com, Savage agreed to plead guilty and provide the gun used to kill McBride. The agreement stipulates Savage give a full confession of the Feb. 25 murder and pass a “confirming” polygraph for the state to recommend a shorter prison sentence.

RELATED | Body of missing man found burned and buried; investigators treating case as a homicide

The agreement also obligates the state not file any additional charges, including using a firearm to commit the murder of McBride. The non-binding agreement says Oleson will recommend Savage spend 20 years to life in prison. If Savage provides a truthful disclosure of the murder, then Oleson will recommend 17 years to life in prison.

Savage cannot withdraw his guilty plea if the court decides to reject the plea agreement and its obligations for both the defense and prosecution.

Although Savage told District Judge Stevan Thompson he shot and killed Savage, he had denied any involvement in the disappearance of McBride earlier.

“He was high on meth,” Savage said in a phone call with EastIdahoNews.com. “That’s all I can tell you right now. I’m working with the police right now. It’ll come out soon.”

Police arrested Savage on March 30 at the Idaho Falls Regional Airport after finding McBride’s body buried and burned near the location Savage told Lumpkin to look. McBride, 23, had been working with Savage in the Morgan Creek area northwest of Challis about a month before the body was found.

RELATED | Ben Savage told us he had nothing to do with the death of Charlie McBride. Then he was arrested for murder.

Savage is scheduled to be sentenced in Custer County on Nov. 18 following a pre-sentencing investigation and mental health evaluation.

The Custer County Prosecutor’s Office had no comment due to the ongoing investigation in the case.

IDAHO FALLS — A man who allegedly started a fire in a local motel appeared before a district court judge Tuesday.

Richard Miller, 44, is accused of starting a fire in Motel 6 on Broadway in Idaho Falls in July. Miller allegedly told investigators he started the fire because he was seeing men with guns in the shadows and he needed to get the attention of police. Officers say they found methamphetamine in the room with Miller.

According to court documents, Idaho Falls police responded to a call from Miller in which he said he was trapped in his room with thick smoke on July 17. Officers and the motel’s general manager arrived and tried to open the door to the room, but it was latched from the inside.

The manager told Miller police were with him, and he needed to open the door. Miller said he wanted to speak to the police and opened the door.

Officers found burning toilet paper and towels in the room. They threw them into the shower to extinguish the flames. According to documents, while making sure the fire was completely out, officers noticed burned toilet paper in the toilet. They opened the lid and found a black bag.

Officers noticed that Miller was fidgety and continually smacking his lips. They wrote in the affidavit of probable cause that they believed Miller was under the influence of methamphetamine.

The contents of the bag were later confirmed to be 6.1 grams of meth.

According to documents, when officers questioned Miller, he said he started the fire to get the attention of the police, and he was seeing men with guns in the shadows.

Miller also allegedly said he had told his girlfriend he was going to start a fire so police would listen to him and take him seriously.

Officers found a marijuana pipe and baggies of marijuana in Miller’s pockets, according to court documents.

Miller was arrested and transported to the Bonneville County Jail. He is facing one charge of first-degree arson, one felony and one misdemeanor count of drug possession and a misdemeanor count of possession of drug paraphernalia.

He was arraigned in district court Tuesday morning in front of Judge Dane Watkins and is being held on $25,000 bond. He waived his preliminary hearing, and a new court date has yet to be set.

For the felony charge of first-degree arson, Miller is facing up to 25 years in prison and a $100,000 fine.

The following is a news release from the Idaho Department of Corrections.

BOISE — The Idaho Department of Correction is seeking an East Boise Community Reentry Center resident who walked away from her job in the community.

Kori Kathleen Freeland was reported missing at 9:45 p.m. Tuesday. She was last seen in the 2600 block of Broadway Avenue in Boise.

Freeland, 31, is white with blonde hair and blue eyes. She is 5-feet, 4 inches tall, weighs 150 pounds and has a fair complexion.*

Freeland’s record includes convictions in Gem and Ada Counties for forgery and possession of a controlled substance.

Freeeland was eligible to be considered for parole on Dec. 3, 2019. Her sentence was scheduled to have been completed on Dec. 2, 2023.

Anyone with information about Freeland’s whereabouts should contact their local law enforcement agency.

The following is a news release from the Idaho Falls Fire Department.

IDAHO FALLS — Police and fire officials are investigating a suspicious fire at the Le Ritz Hotel & Suites in Idaho Falls early Wednesday morning.

Idaho Falls Fire Department reports show at about 2:36 a.m., dispatchers received a call from a hotel occupant who reported smelling smoke from the first floor of the hotel at 720 Lindsay Boulevard in Idaho Falls. Firefighters and Idaho Falls Police Department were dispatched to the two-story, multi-occupant building.

A ladder truck, three engines, two ambulances and a battalion chief responded. IFPD closed off Lindsay Boulevard from Wardell Avenue to North Utah Avenue. When the ladder truck arrived on scene there was nothing showing from the outside of the hotel. However, there was heavy smoke inside the hotel.

Firefighters began searching each of the rooms on the first and second floors, and the hotel was evacuated. They quickly identified the room on the second floor that had a smoke detector going off.

Upon entry of the two-room suite, firefighters found very heavy smoke but no active fire. There were no occupants inside the hotel suite. The bed, carpet and other bedside items inside one of the rooms had fire damage, but the fire was contained to the one room. There was smoke damage throughout the hotel suite. Firefighters checked the surrounding rooms for fire damage and took measures to ventilate the smoke from the affected hotel rooms.

There were no injuries to civilians or firefighters. There were some hotel occupants who complained of smoke inhalation. However, there were no patients transported to the hospital.

The estimated damages are unknown at this time.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The story contains violent descriptions of child abuse. Reader discretion is advised.

IDAHO FALLS — A man responsible for the “horrific” abuse of a toddler will spend a number of years behind bars.

James Dunkle, 30, was sentenced Wednesday to 30 years in prison and will serve at least eight years before the possibility of release. Dunkle was charged with felony injury to a child and with a felony infliction of great bodily injury enhancement in February after severely hurting his girlfriend’s 18-month-old.

“It doesn’t matter what I do today. The family is going to struggle,” District Judge Bruce Pickett said as he handed down the sentence.

According to an affidavit of probable cause, Dunkle initially told investigators the child fell off the bed before losing consciousness. However, the injuries the toddler sustained told a different story.

During the sentencing hearing, the toddler’s grandfather shared the moments he found the boy lying unresponsive on his mother’s bed. The grandfather said he lived next door to the toddler and had walked past the house moments before the boy’s mother called him to check on the unconscious boy.

“I ran over to try to get inside, only to have the door locked,” the grandfather said. “Once I got inside the house, I went into (the mother’s) bedroom and there was (the boy) laying on his back on (the mother’s) bed. He’s laying on that bed gasping for air, moaning, trying so hard to breathe … (The boy) looked like he was dying.”

The grandfather said after checking the toddler’s pulse, he knew he couldn’t move the boy because “he was hurt so bad.” He recorded it on video as Dunkle called 911 to report the unconscious child. When first responders arrived, they rushed him to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center.

The toddler’s father also spoke during the hearing.

“The day I got the call I needed to rush to the hospital because our son was severely abused by a monster and is fighting for his life, was the hardest and scariest day of my life,” he said.

Upon discovering the possibility of a skull fracture, bleeding on the brain and other life-threatening injuries, doctors recommended the toddler be flown by medical helicopter to Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City.

The toddler’s grandfather said while at Primary Children’s, doctors determined the boy had a fractured spine, brain injuries, collapsed lung and fractures to his limbs. He said the boy continues therapy as he struggles to use the left side of his body, eat with a spoon and brush his teeth – all things he could do before the abuse. Doctors do not expect the toddler to recover 100 percent.

According to court documents, during an interview with police, Dunkle was babysitting when the boy vomited, and he went to give the child a bath when he became “frustrated,” and had a breakdown. He swatted the toddler on the buttocks — and then things escalated.

Deputy County Prosecuting Attorney Alex Muir said Dunkle purposefully dropped the boy on his head, shook the toddler’s head against the floor and threw him across a bed into a dresser until he fell onto the floor.

The toddler is plagued by seizures and plain inflicting migraines, both lasting effects of the head injuries sustained at Dunkle’s hands, family members told the court.

“In this situation, it probably would be inappropriate to offer a lot of mitigation on behalf of James other than to say … how contrite he feels,” defense attorney Neal Randall said. “No matter what I’m going to say isn’t going to help the family, especially in a situation where a child is so hurt and so profoundly impacted.”

Muir said the case warrants a “swift and heavy” prison sentence, ensuring the protection and youth of the community.

“A sentence less than imprisonment would depreciate the seriousness of this crime,” Muir said.

Muir recommended the maximum sentence for this case of 30 years with eight of those fixed and 22 indeterminate. Additionally, he told Pickett the state will file for restitution in the case to help cover the extensive medical bills accrued upon the family. The grandfather said these bills have been forcing them to consider filing for bankruptcy.

“I’m truly apologetic for my actions,” Dunkle said in a statement to the court. “Not because of where I am, but for the pain and suffering I caused the family, relatives and caring friends.”

He said while being locked up in the Bonneville Jail, he read a book to help him study and understand the consequences of his actions. He said he is ready to take those consequences and continues praying to understand the deeper issues his violent actions caused.

“I don’t deserve forgiveness,” Dunkle said. “But I do pray that we can all in time heal from this.”

Little is publicly known as to why Dunkle purposely abused the toddler; however, Pickett shared aspects of the pre-sentence investigation before handing down his sentence.

“You went to say in your own statement that you quit caring about everything because you wanted to be with your own children, and it was not the same being with (the toddler),” Pickett said.

Dunkle had recently gone through a divorce before he hurt the toddler. Pickett also said Dunkle struggles with many psychological issues and has his own experience being abused himself.

“I recognize that the eight years in no way serves as justice for the victim because there isn’t justice in this case for the victim,” Pickett said. “There’s nothing the court can do.”

BLACKFOOT — A judge ordered a Shelley man to spend four days in jail for the abuse and neglect of his elderly mother-in-law.

Douglas Howell, 49, was originally charged with felony abuse and neglect of a vulnerable adult, but after striking a deal with prosecutors, that charge was amended to a misdemeanor. Howell admitted shoving 78-year-old Naoma Ware to the ground during an argument in 2014 because she had more than 30 cats living in her bedroom, according to court documents. She was bedridden for two months before her death.

As part of the sentence given on Sept. 4, Magistrate Judge James Barrett ordered Howell spend a year on supervised probation with an additional 25 days of discretionary jail time. Barrett made the case eligible for a withheld judgment, meaning if Howell is successful on probation, the charge will be removed from his record. Howell will also have to pay $387.50 in fees and fines and complete 50 hours of community service.

The story of the Norma Ware made headlines when in late 2018 Bingham County Sheriff’s Office deputies found her body buried in the backyard of a rural Shelley home. In interviews with detectives, Howell’s son, 24-year-old Harley Howell, told investigators he killed Ware by shoving and kicking her. He said he buried the body with help from his now-dead mother and Ware’s daughter, Danielle L. Howell. Ware’s body wasn’t discovered until friends tried to notify her of Danielle Howell’s death in a November car crash.

At first, Harley Howell said he and his mother stuffed Ware’s body in a closet, where she was left for about two months. When Ware’s body began to stink, he said, he moved her to a shed in the backyard. When his mother worried about the smell, and the pair wondered what would happen when Douglas Howell used the shed, they reportedly placed the body in a crawl space for two more weeks before burying the body in a duck pen.

It’s not clear if Douglas Howell knew about death, or wondered what had happened to Ware. No information was released in court documents to indicate his awareness.

For his involvement in the incident, prosecutors charged Harley Howell with felony abuse and neglect of a vulnerable adult along with felony failure to report a death. He pleaded not guilty and is scheduled for a jury trial on Jan. 28, 2019.

BOISE (Idaho Statesman) — Seven inmates at the Canyon County jail claim that a sheriff’s deputy gave them used razors while in custody and that they contracted hepatitis C.

The inmates filed tort claims in May against the Canyon County Sheriff’s Office, through attorney Chip Giles, of Giles & Thompson Law. The Idaho Statesman obtained copies of the tort claims through a records request. A tort claim prefaces a lawsuit against a government agency and contains allegations of wrongdoing, but the claims are not yet substantiated.

The tort claims allege that on March 25, deputy Trayton Meyers provided inmates in “F pod” of the jail with razors that “were retrieved from the bio-hazard box and had previously been used by other inmates.”

The tort claims allege that blood tests determined that seven of the inmates tested positive for hepatitis C, which they had not previously been diagnosed with or exposed to, according to the document.

Hepatitis C is a blood-borne virus that causes a liver infection, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There is no preventative vaccine for hep C, which spreads through blood transfer.

An estimated 2.4 million people in the United States are living with hepatitis C, and the most common cause of transmission is shared needles among injection drug users, according to the CDC.

The tort claims ask for damages in the amount of at least $500,000 per claimant, noting that treatment for hepatitis C is “costly” and the claimants will suffer “future economic loss.”

Canyon County spokesman Joe Decker told the Idaho Statesman on Wednesday that the county does not comment “on pending notices or potential litigation.” The tort claims have been forwarded to the county’s insurer, the Idaho Counties Risk Management Program.

The Statesman reached out to Giles for further comment Wednesday but he was not immediately available.

(CNN) — It begins with a smiling teen boy, opening his locker to retrieve the “perfect” backpack that his mom bought him.

It ends with a young girl, in tears, texting a goodbye to her mother as a door opens and foot steps approach.

The “Back to School Essentials” public service announcement, which debuted Wednesday morning, purports to show off the items every student needs to have in the new school year. But in reality, it’s a chilling battle cry against school shootings which stresses that these acts of violence can be prevented.

You can watch it here. But be warned: it’s upsetting.

The PSA was created by Sandy Hook Promise, the nonprofit formed after the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, that killed 20 students and six adults.

In addition to the teen with the backpack, the PSA features cheery music and students showing off their new binders and headphones.

But then the PSA then takes a turn, showing a student running through a hallway.

“These new sneakers are just what I needed for the new year,” the student says as screams and gunshots are heard in the background.

Other students extol the virtues of jackets (to help secure doors), skateboards (to break windows), socks (to use as a tourniquet) and scissors and colored pencils (to fight off attackers).

It’s supposed to be emotional

But the PSA’s most harrowing image is the last one. A girl hides in a bathroom, clutching her sparkling pink phone.

“I finally got my own phone to stay in touch with my mom,” she says tearfully, just after texting an “I love you” message to her mother. Then the sound of a door creaking open is heard, followed by footsteps entering her hiding place.

The spot ends with this ominous tag line: “It’s back to school time. You know what that means.”

The emotional starkness of the PSA is intentional.

“It’s meant to be an intense video,” Nicole Hockley, managing director of Sandy Hook Promise, told CNN’s “New Day” Wednesday. Her son, 6-year-old Dylan Hockley, was killed in the Sandy Hook shooting. “This is what our kids are experiencing now in school.”

Hockley said Sandy Hook Promise puts out a new PSA at the start of every school year to teach people that school shootings and gun violence can be prevented.

“We wanted to focus on this back-to-school time because parents still think of it as this rosy time where you’re getting your staplers, shoes, folders and binders,” she said. “Whereas, it’s back to a time of violence for a lot of kids.”

The PSA fits Sandy Hook Promise’s mission to empower America’s school kids with tools so they can look after themselves and their peers.

She hasn’t given up hope

Asked if she was surprised that the latest mass shootings in California, Ohio and Texas hadn’t spurred Congress to act on gun violence, Hockley said the conversation around guns is slowly changing.

“I think each time, sadly, we are moving closer to the time that it’s going to be different (after a shooting). A lot has changed since Sandy Hook,” said said. “The recent back-to-back shootings are so heartbreaking. The conversation continues to happen. More people are getting involved. Legislation is available in Congress right now that can start to chip away at these acts of violence. Prevention, plus legislation, that’s the cure to this.”

She adds that a universal background check bill that passed the House but is stalled in the Senate isn’t controversial legislation. She feels the people want it so Congress should respond.

She remains confident that the work that Sandy Hook Promise and others are doing to address gun violence can reverse the “new normal” in America’s schools.

“I always have hope. I absolutely know that we can prevent this,” she said. “I know we can stem this tide. We just need to keep chipping away.”

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IDAHO FALLS — Law enforcement responded in force to the area of Maple Street Thursday afternoon after a call about an armed robbery.

Idaho Falls Police are currently trying to determine the veracity of the call.

Police spokeswoman Jessica Clements tells EastIdahoNews.com that dispatchers received a call at around 4:30 p.m. from a person who said they were robbed at gunpoint near the Maverik gas station on Sunnyside Road. The individual claimed their wallet and money had been stolen.

Clements said after receiving the call, officers have had difficulty learning more from the victim.

Police responded to Maple Street after learning about possible suspects to the alleged crime. Police detained two people for questioning who may have been involved. At this time no one has been arrested.

Police are still working to determine what happened, but Clements said she does not believe there is any safety concern to the public and they are continuing to investigate.

IDAHO FALLS — Idaho Falls Police detectives are investigating an early morning fire at the Le Ritz Hotel as a possible arson.

Police spokeswoman Jessica Clements confirmed the direction of the investigation and also said detectives are looking for anyone who may have information about what happened at the hotel Wednesday night.

The fire started around 2:30 a.m. at the hotel at 720 Lindsay Boulevard. Dispatchers received a call about the fire from a hotel occupant. When firefighters arrived, they didn’t find flames, but the hotel was full of heavy smoke, which was coming from an unoccupied room on the second floor.

RELATED: Suspicious fire under investigation at Idaho Falls hotel

Le Ritz General Manager 

Shelby Johnson tells EastIdahoNews.com the hotel was full that night, with the exception of that room. She said it looks like someone got into the room and set the bed on fire. The person also appears to have tried unsuccessfully to start a fire in the adjacent room of the two-room suite.

No one was hurt or transported to the hospital, although some of the hotel occupants complained of smoke inhalation, according to an Idaho Falls Fire Department news release.

If you have information about the possible arson, to call the authorities, contact the Idaho Falls Police at (208) 529-1200 or you can anonymously contact Crime Stoppers by calling (208) 522-1983 or online at www.ifcrime.org.

IDAHO FALLS — A Idaho Falls man has been placed on a year of unsupervised probation for the vandalism of a local soda shop.

Gilberto Ahuatzi, 22, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor malicious injury to property Friday after admitting to smashing the window of JB Soda Barn with a skateboard on March 15. Police arrested Ahuatzi in the following weeks after matching him to security camera footage taken from the shop on 1st Street in Idaho Falls.

In addition to the unsupervised probation, Magistrate Judge Steven Gardner ordered Ahuatzi pay $1,485.39 in fees and fines. Gardner gave Ahuatzi 90 days of discretionary jail time with credit for the three days he spent in the Bonneville County Jail. If he violates his probation he will have to serve the jail time.

RELATED: Police searching for vandal after soda barn window is smashed

According to an Idaho Falls Police Department news release, the surveillance camera showed Ahuatzi shattering the window, leaving broken glass and damaging the machinery inside the building.

Police initially arrested Ahuatzi for felony malicious injury to property, booking him into the jail. However, as part of a plea agreement prosecutors reduced the charge to the misdemeanor level.

RELATED: Man arrested for vandalism of JB’s Soda Barn

Ahuatzi is currently in supervised probation in Bingham County for a misdemeanor DUI charge received in August 2018. He is eligible to be released from probation in 2021.

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

BOISE — This week, Senior U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge sentenced three of five defendants in a long-term check forgery scheme, U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis announced. On Sept. 18, Chul Gibbs, 33, of Canyon County, was sentenced to 48 months in prison for his role in organizing the scheme.

Also on Sept. 18, Tiffany Junge, 29, of Canyon County, was sentenced to 21 months in prison. On Sept. 19, Alexandra Boyd, 31, of Nampa, was sentenced to 21 months in prison. All defendants sentenced this week will serve three years of supervised release upon their release from custody.

On Aug. 22, their co-defendant, Jimmy Marley, 49, of Lubbock, Texas, was sentenced to 30 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release.

The final defendant, Angelina Robles, 46, of Meridian, is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 22, in front of U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill at the federal courthouse in Boise.

All defendants except for Robles pleaded guilty to bank fraud and aggravated identity theft charges. Robles pleaded guilty to bank fraud only.

According to the defendants’ plea agreements, over a substantial portion of 2018, the group stole checks that residents and business had placed in the mail. The defendants then forged the checks so that they were made payable to themselves, often in higher amounts. The defendants then attempted to cash the checks at banks. Over the course of their scheme, the defendants’ collectively caused a loss of approximately $32,000.

This case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Nampa, Caldwell, Boise, and Meridian Police Departments, and the Ada County Sheriff’s Office.