BOISE (Idaho Statesman) — A 22-year-old woman was sentenced to 15 years in prison this week for her role in the murder of a teenage hitchhiker in 2017.

Montanna Reed, 22, of Twin Falls, will be eligible for parole after five years and will receive credit for the two years she has served, 3rd District Judge Susan Wiebe ruled. Reed had pleaded guilty to charges of criminal conspiracy and failure to notify authorities of a death.

Hunter Smith, 18, was hitchhiking and on his way to Nebraska in the summer of 2017 when he was befriended by a trio of people, including Reed, and invited to shoot guns. His body was found in the desert of eastern Owyhee County by hunters on Oct. 21, 2017.

Two men involved in the murder have already been sentenced in the case: Nicholas Vandenberg and Willie K. Rabey.

Vandenberg, 28, of Melba, fired the shots that killed Smith, and he was sentenced in August to 30 years to life in prison for first-degree murder. Rabey, 35, of Mountain Home, was sentenced to 26 years in prison after pleading guilty in February to accessory to first-degree murder, evidence destruction and failure to notify of a death.

IDAHO FALLS — A jury was unable to reach a decision in the case of an Idaho Falls contractor accused of stealing a skid-steer loader from a local business.

The trial for Ryan Hilliard, the owner of Idaho Falls-based Ultimate Construction, began Monday with closing arguments on Wednesday. The jury spent most of Wednesday afternoon and evening deliberating and a good portion of Thursday morning before telling the judge they could not reach a verdict.

As a result, District Judge Bruce Pickett declared a mistrial.

The trial revolved around a stolen Caterpillar Model 289C skid-steer valued between $25,000 and $30,000. Hilliard said he bought the vehicle from one of his employees in October 2018, and didn’t know it was stolen until he found out in May.

The employee, who has not been charged with a crime, said Hilliard told him to go pick up the skid-steer from Idaho Falls company Bybee Excavation.

Hilliard was arrested in August.

“Each side feels wronged,” Defense Attorney Jason Gustaves said.

During the trial, Prosecuting Attorney Alex Muir said the case is about what the defendant knew and when he knew it.

Bybee Excavation reported the crime occurred on Oct. 22, 2018. Police discovered the property was in Hilliard’s possession on May 3, 2019.

Gustaves asserts the detective working the case didn’t believe Hilliard’s side of the story partly because he’s on parole for a controlled substance charge out of Twin Falls County.

Hilliard asserts a bill of sale was created Oct. 26, 2018, which proves the purchase, but that information wasn’t told to detectives initially.

“You have a bill of sale, that’s something you tell a police officer or detective when they are questioning you about it,” Muir said.

The employee told the court he never saw a bill of sale exhibit until Sunday (the day before the trial started). He said the signature on the paper is not his and appears forged. It was compared to his signatures on his driver’s license, a check he endorsed and the signature he provided to the prosecution — those three didn’t match the bill of sale signature. However, Gustaves argued that an individual wouldn’t provide their proper signature when doing something wrong.

He said the employee needed money because he continually got advances on paychecks, had loans, owed money to family, has kids and his wife needs medical treatment.

Gustaves also said the employee went to the excavation site three times with two different trailers, loaded the skid-steer in 40 seconds, didn’t strap down the equipment then got a flat tire, looked at it and drove off.

“What about any of that sounds like a man who doesn’t know he is doing something dirty?”

There were also large financial transactions made from Hilliard to the employee in the amount of $10,000 cash on Oct. 30, 2018, and then Nov. 5, 2018, of $5,000 cash. Gustaves said Hilliard agreed to buy the skid-steer from the employee for $24,000 and arranged to make installment payments on it.

Muir asserted that two payments in such a short time doesn’t sound like installment payments.

“Sounds suspicious to me,” he said.

Despite the arguments by both the prosecution and defense, the jury wasn’t fully persuaded either way. Since the trial resulted in a hung jury, prosecutors plan to bring the case to court again in the near future. A pre-trial conference has been scheduled for Jan. 28, 2020, and a jury trial is set for Feb. 10, 2020.

FORT HALL — A man accused of breaking into a home and stealing a car is scheduled to appear in court next week.

Randall Yman Teton, 41, was arrested in Fort Hall in September when Fort Hall police caught him allegedly driving while intoxicated in a vehicle he’d allegedly stolen several days prior. The theft occurred after he allegedly broke into a home and stole a purse, police say.

Teton is scheduled to be arraigned in district court on Dec. 23.

According to court documents, Bingham County Sheriff’s deputies were called out to Fort Hall on Sept. 19, when they were informed by Fort Hall police that one of the people they had in custody was not native American and had a felony arrest warrant out of Bingham County. Fort Hall police also told Bingham County that they had found a vehicle that had been stolen in Bingham County.

When the deputies arrived, they interviewed Teton and asked him about the stolen car and a recent burglary they were investigating. Teton said a friend of his picked him up in the car. He said they stopped at a house and the friend broke in and stole a purse.

When deputies asked him what his friend’s name is, Teton said he didn’t know. They encouraged him to find out because if he didn’t he would take the fall for vehicle theft and burglary.

According to documents, Teton then allegedly told the deputies that he’d committed the crimes himself and told them where he’d thrown the purse out of the car’s window.

Teton was taken into custody, charged with burglary and grand theft, and booked into the Bingham County Jail. He was released to pretrial services on Dec. 5.

REXBURG — Two local law enforcement agencies and the FBI are investigating a possible connection between the death of a Fremont County woman and two missing Rexburg children who are believed to be in serious danger.

The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the death of 49-year-old Tammy Daybell. Daybell, who had worked as a school librarian in Rexburg and Sugar City, was found deceased in her home Oct. 19, and her death was initially believed to be from natural causes, according to a Rexburg Police Department news release. She was buried in Springville, Utah, on Oct. 22, but a later investigation by the sheriff’s office revealed the death might be suspicious.

Read Tammy Daybell’s obituary here.

The sheriff’s office exhumed her remains Dec. 11, and the Utah Office of the Medical Examiner conducted an autopsy.

Rexburg Police Chief Shane Turman tells EastIdahoNews.com that during the investigation into her death, law enforcement was made aware that two Rexburg children, ages 7 and 17, were missing. They also determined that within weeks of Tammy Daybell’s death, her surviving husband, Chad Daybell, had married Rexburg resident Lori Vallow, who is the mother of the missing children, according to a news release.

It’s not clear what the connection is between the two cases. Fremont County Sheriff Len Humphries declined to comment.

No one involved in this case has been charged with any crime, but Turman said the parents have repeatedly lied about the whereabouts of the children.

“They’ve told us several stories about where the children are, but when we investigate, the children don’t exist where they say they should,” he said. “We don’t know where they are at, but we think they are in pretty serious danger.”

On Nov. 26, Rexburg Police tried to conduct a welfare check on Joshua Vallow, Lori Vallow’s adopted 7-year-old special needs son, at their home at 565 Pioneer Road in Rexburg. Relatives outside of Idaho had requested the check because they hadn’t spoken to Joshua since September.

Rexburg investigators spoke with Vallow and Daybell, who said Joshua was staying with a family friend in Arizona. That turned out to be a lie, Turman said.

On Nov 27, Rexburg police executed search warrants at locations in Rexburg associated with Vallow, in an attempt to locate Joshua. As the search warrants were being executed, investigators determined that Vallow and Daybell had abruptly left their home and Rexburg. Police do not believe the children were with them when they left.

Turman said they have been in contact with the couple, but authorities do not know where they are, and they continue to be uncooperative.

Investigators also determined Joshua last attended school at Kennedy Elementary in Rexburg on Sept. 23. Additionally, investigators learned Vallow has a 17-year-old daughter, Tylee Ryan, who was living with Vallow in Rexburg. The teen has not been seen since September either.

Investigators have contacted several members of the children’s extended family, but no one has been in contact with the children since September. Additionally, the children have not been reported missing to any law enforcement agency.

Joshua is a 7-year-old with brown hair and brown eyes. He is 4 feet tall and weighs 50 pounds. Tylee is a 17-year-old with blonde hair and blue eyes. She is 5 feet tall and weighs 160 pounds.

Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of the children since September is asked to contact the Rexburg Police Department, at (208) 359-3000, or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), at (800) THE-LOST.

POCATELLO — A man has been released on his own recognizance after being arrested for allegedly attacking a woman last week.

Paul Flatland, 29, was taken into custody Friday and booked into the Bannock County Jail after the woman told police he sexually assaulted her the day before.

In a probable cause affidavit obtained by EastIdahoNews.com, the victim said she and Flatland were involved in a physical disturbance. She said he held her down, tried removing her clothes and sexually assaulted her while she tried to fight back. Flatland had fled the home by the time police arrived.

The woman showed investigators photos of bruising from another domestic attack on Dec. 9 when she says Flatland picked her up and pushed her against a wall, according to court documents.

Police later spoke with Flatland and he said he tried cuddling with the woman when they fell to the floor. He denied the physical altercation went any further.

Police wrote in the probable cause document that the woman’s injuries are consistent with her side of the story.

Police arrested Flatland on a misdemeanor warrant for domestic battery in the presence of a child. At his arraignment Friday, Magistrate Judge Paul Laggis released Flatland on his own recognizance.

Flatland made headlines in 2016 when his 1-year-old daughter drowned in the bathtub while his ex-wife, Kelsee Flatland, was on her phone. She pleaded guilty to felony injury to a child and spent time in jail. Police said Paul Flatland had no knowledge the infant was in the bathtub while he was downstairs playing video games.

Paul Flatland later told EastIdahoNews.com he was not playing video games but was working in the garage. Prosecutors did not charge him in connection to the infant’s death.

A pre-trial conference for the misdemeanor domestic battery is scheduled for Jan. 8, 2020 at the Bannock County Courthouse.

The following is a news release from the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office.

On Dec. 20, at approximately 5:45 p.m., a Bonneville County Sheriff’s deputy assigned to the Ammon Division were sent to Sportsman’s Warehouse for a female that was being detained for shoplifting.

The deputy made contact with store employees and 41-year-old Jessica M. Mekosch of Idaho Falls who had been observed hiding several items of clothing and knives on her person before purchasing a single item and then attempting to leave the store.

While retrieving some of the stolen items from Ms. Mekosch’s purse, store employees located a syringe they believed contained an illegal substance and turned it over to the arriving deputy. That substance was later field-tested and found to contain methamphetamine. Subsequently, the deputy located a small plastic bag, also inside Ms. Mekosch’s purse, with approximately .7 grams Methamphetamine inside.

Mekosch was placed under arrest and transported to the Bonneville County Jail where she was booked for felony possession of methamphetamine and misdemeanor charges of possession of drug paraphernalia and petit theft.

REXBURG — A Rexburg attorney representing Chad and Lori Daybell says he is in contact with the couple but has no information regarding the whereabouts or welfare of two of their children — 7-year-old Joshua Vallow and 17-year-old Tylee Ryan.

The children have been missing from Rexburg since September. On Friday, the Rexburg Police Department announced an ongoing search for the kids and said the parents are not cooperating with officers’ attempts to check on the welfare of the children. Both Chad and Lori, whose maiden name is Vallow, have been named “persons of interest” in the children’s disappearance.

The couple is also connected to two active death investigations involving both of their former spouses — one in Fremont County and another in Maricopa County, Arizona. However, authorities in both jurisdictions say Chad and Lori are not persons of interest or suspects in those cases.

No charges have been filed against Chad or Lori in Idaho or Arizona. So far, Rexburg Police have only indicated they want to talk with the couple to ensure the children are OK.

On Monday, attorney Sean Bartholick, of Rigby, Andrus & Rigby, issued the following statement on the Daybells’ behalf:

“Chad Daybell was a loving husband and has the support of his children in this matter. Lori Daybell is a devoted mother and resents assertions to the contrary. We look forward to addressing the allegations once they have moved beyond speculation and rumor.”

RELATED | Police searching for Rexburg children believed to be in serious danger

The Daybells and the Preparing A People group

Family members say Chad and Lori Daybell bonded over some common religious beliefs.

Chad is a self-published Latter-day Saint author and owns Spring Creek Books, a publishing company he started with his former wife, Tammy, who died in October.

Many of the books he writes or publishes deal with doomsday situations or near-death experiences. In his autobiography “Living on the Edge of Heaven,” Daybell describes his two near-death experiences. On his website, Daybell says he’s helped “several prominent people publish books about their own near-death experiences.”

Both Chad and Lori were affiliated with a group called Preparing A People, an organization that says its mission is to “help prepare the people of this earth for the second coming of Jesus Christ.” On its website, the group says it doesn’t represent any church or official church doctrines, policies or positions; however, many associated with Preparing A People and those who speak at their workshops are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Preparing A People hosts several podcasts, a number of which both Chad and Lori have appeared on together over the past year to discuss their religious beliefs.

As of Monday morning, those podcasts were removed and the website posted a statement:

“We considered Chad Daybell a good friend, but have since learned of things we had no idea about. … We did not know Lori as well as we thought we knew Chad,” the statement reads. “In light of current concerning media reports and ongoing criminal investigations regarding the recent death of Lori Vallow’s previous husband in Arizona, and the sudden death of Chad Daybell’s previous wife in Idaho, and with new reports of Lori’s missing children and the death of Lori’s brother-in-law, and the unknown whereabouts of Chad and Lori, we feel it inappropriate to not promote any media content that may feature or contain references to either Chad Daybell or Lori Vallow.”

Michael James, the website operator, says Chad was a popular speaker at some of their events.

“He was one of our best speakers, and people really trusted him, (but) Chad evidently had some strange ideas about things we didn’t know about,” James said. “Occasionally, that happens, and when it does, you need to break with them.”

Two members of Lori’s extended family, Kay Vallow Woodcock of Louisiana and Brandon Boudreaux of Arizona have spoken to multiple national news outlets about Chad and Lori’s involvement with the group. Woodcock said Lori’s behavior radically changed after becoming affiliated with the group.

Both told EastIdahoNews.com that they believe involvement with Preparing A People, which they call a cult, led to the suspicious deaths of Chad and Lori’s their former spouses.

“I don’t want to attack anyone’s beliefs … but when you look at the fruit that’s come from this group and its beliefs … it certainly, from my mind, doesn’t come from God,” said Boudreaux. He said his ex-wife, Lori Daybell’s niece, also joined the group. He claims in interviews and on social media that several months ago, someone tried to kill him by shooting at him.

James strongly denies the characterization that his group is a cult and says it is offensive to describe it as such.

“I have no idea what Chad and Lori did in their spare time, but Preparing A People is not a cult,” James said. “It’s just LDS people that go to conferences.”

RELATED | Police release photos of mother, stepdad who are now ‘persons of interest’ in connection to children’s disappearance

Active death investigations

The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the suspicious death of Chad’s former wife, Tammy Daybell, who was 49 when she died.

She worked as a school librarian in Rexburg and Sugar City and was found deceased in her Salem home Oct. 19. Her death was believed to be from natural causes, according to a Rexburg Police Department news release, and she was buried shortly after in Springville, Utah.

Questions were recently raised about her death and Fremont County Sheriff’s deputies had her remains exhumed Dec. 11. The Utah Office of the Medical Examiner conducted an autopsy, but the results of that investigation have not been released. On Friday, Rexburg police indicated they believed the death was related to the disappearance of Joshua and Tylee, but they did not specify how.

Fremont County Sheriff Len Humphries could not be reached for comment Monday.

The Chandler Arizona Police Department is investigating the death of Charles Anthony Vallow, the estranged husband of Lori. On July 11, Vallow was shot and killed by Lori’s brother, Alexander L. Cox, in a family fight.

According to Fox10 in Phoenix police in Chandler say first responders found Vallow with two gunshot wounds in the chest. Investigators told reporters the estranged couple began arguing when Cox stepped in, and a physical fight ensued. Vallow reportedly hit Cox with a baseball bat, and investigators believe Cox fatally shot him.

Cox died Dec. 12 in Gilbert, Arizona. His death and Vallow’s are active cases and are under investigation, the Chandler Police Department told EastIdahoNews.com on Monday.

Authorities believe Chad and Lori were married several weeks after the death of Tammy Daybell.

‘In pretty serious danger’

Local authorities became involved in the investigation Nov. 26 after out-of-state family members contacted the department requesting a welfare check on Joshua, Lori’s adopted son with special needs. Police went to their home at 565 Pioneer Road in Rexburg after relatives said they hadn’t spoken to Joshua since September.

The children were not at the home during the check, and Rexburg Police Chief Shane Turman said the parents lied about their whereabouts.

“They’ve told us several stories about where the children are, but when we investigate, the children don’t exist where they say they should,” Turman said Friday. “We don’t know where they are at, but we think they are in pretty serious danger.”

The next day, Arizona authorities contacted Rexburg Police regarding a cell phone ping at the same Rexburg address, according to a Madison County Sheriff’s Office log. The log states it was in relation to a missing child case. Rexburg Police Capt. Gary Hagen told EastIdahoNews.com the call also had to do with the Arizona death investigations.

Following the request, Rexburg Police executed search warrants at the home. Investigators determined the Daybells abruptly left the house and city. Police do not believe the children were with them when they took off.

Hagen said investigators are unaware of how Daybell and Vallow left Rexburg – whether by car or airplane.

“We’ve been digging into that, and that’s still part of the whole investigation,” Hagen said.

According to a Rexburg Police news release, Joshua was last seen at Kennedy Elementary School on Sept. 23. Tylee was last seen that month as well.

Police did not comment on why the school did not report Joshua’s absence and why the children had not been reported missing to any law enforcement agency. Investigators are still searching for any information regarding the children and the Daybells.

Joshua is a 7-year-old with brown hair and brown eyes. He is 4 feet tall and weighs 50 pounds. Tylee is a 17-year-old with blond hair and blue eyes. She is 5 feet tall and weighs 160 pounds.

Lori Vallow Daybell is 46 years old, and has blond hair and blue eyes. She weighs 125 pounds and is 5 feet, 6 inches tall. Chad Daybell is 51 years old, and has brown hair and blue eyes. He weighs 230 pounds and is 6 feet, 3 inches tall.

Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of the children since September is asked to contact the Rexburg Police Department, at (208) 359-3000, or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), at (800) THE-LOST.

The following is a news release from the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office.

IDAHO FALLS – On Dec. 24 around 2:20 p.m., Bonneville County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a disturbance at a residence in the 3200 South block of 65th West where a male and female were reported to have forced their way into a residence.

Prior to deputies’ arrival, it was reported a male by the name of “Dusty” and female left the residence on foot in separate directions.

As a deputy arrived in the area, he located a male he recognized as 37-year-old Dustin D. Strange of Idaho Falls walking on 33rd South, east of where the disturbance was called in.

At first, Mr. Strange gave a fake name to the deputy, who could also smell the strong odor of marijuana coming from his person. After being detained, Mr. Strange admitted his true identity as well as being in possession of drug paraphernalia in his backpack. In a search of the backpack, the deputy located two drug pipes, approximately .5 grams of Methamphetamine, and just over 27 grams of Marijuana.

During this time, the deputy discovered Strange had an active Felony Parole Violation warrant as well.

Deputies determined Mr. Strange was present at the disturbance they were originally called to, but not involved in criminal activity there. The female party involved was not located and deputies are continuing the investigation into that incident.

Mr. Strange was taken into custody and transported to the Bonneville County Jail, where he was booked on the felony parole violation warrant along with new charges of felony possession of methamphetamine and misdemeanor possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

LOGAN, Utah — A Utah man is in custody following a break-in at the Logan, Utah temple early Christmas eve.

A news release from the Logan Police Department indicates 34-year-old Peter Ambrose of Smithfield, Utah has been charged with burglary and criminal mischief.

“Ambrose cooperated with detectives and stated he was upset because it was Christmas and he couldn’t see his children and no LDS girls would date him,” the release says.

RELATED | Logan Temple broken into and vandalized, police say

Officers got a call at 3:22 a.m. Dec. 24 that someone had broken the glass on the east door of the annex to the temple. Officers later discovered there was damage on three levels of the temple.

Several paintings were pulled from the wall and damaged, a fire extinguisher had been set off and a few other doors were damaged as well.

Around 8:30, officers found Ambrose locked inside one of the rooms. He was booked into Cache County Jail.

A spokesman for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints told KSL.com the Logan temple reopened for all ordinance work Thursday morning.

The following is a news release from the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office.

IDAHO FALLS — On Dec. 25 just before 10 p.m., Bonneville County Sheriff’s deputies received a report that 32-year-old Stephen F. Moreau of California was in the area looking for his ex-wife. Moreau’s family showed deputies where he had made multiple statements that he was going to kill his ex-wife and believed he would not stop if confronted by law enforcement. Moreau’s family believed Mr. Moreau was actively watching his ex-wife’s residence and followed her family member to the Idaho Falls Community Hospital where he believed she was located.

Around 10:15, Idaho Falls Police Officers were dispatched to a hit and run crash at the intersection of 25th St. and South St. Clair involving the vehicle Mr. Moreau was believed to be driving. IFPD Officers found Mr. Moreau had been stopped at a stop sign for an extended amount of time before exiting his vehicle and confronting a vehicle behind him that had honked their horn. As the vehicle attempted to drive around Mr. Moreau and leave the area, he intentionally backed into the passenger side door and fled the scene.

As deputies and officers were searching the area for Mr. Moreau, they received information he had entered the Idaho Falls Community Hospital looking for his ex-wife and the hospital was put on a brief lockdown while deputies and hospital security searched the building. During this time, a Bonneville County sheriff’s deputy located Mr. Moreau driving on South St. Clair near 17th St. and initiated a high-risk stop with the assistance of Idaho Falls Police Officers. Mr. Moreau was taken into custody at that time without further incident.

Idaho Falls Police transported Mr. Moreau to the Bonneville County Jail where he was booked for felony aggravated assault related to the collision at 25th Street and St. Clair. Deputies also issued Mr. Moreau a misdemeanor citation for 2nd Degree stalking and trespassed him from the Idaho Falls Community/Mountain View Hospital.

REXBURG — A Brigham Young University-Idaho student has pleaded guilty to felony aggravated battery after police say he head-butted another student on campus.

Alan Klein Lauese, a 26-year-old student from California, appeared in court Monday morning and signed a plea agreement with Madison County prosecutors. The agreement stipulates Lauese pays full restitution for the victim’s injuries and in exchange, the prosecution will recommend Lauese be given probation. Prosecutors are free to ask for an additional 30 days in jail.

Additionally, the defendant can argue any sentence and the prosecution won’t object to a withheld judgment in the case. A withheld judgment means if Lauese is successful on probation the conviction could be removed from his record.

RELATED: Student arrested after police say he head-butted another student on BYU-Idaho campus

According to court documents, on Dec. 10, Lauese used his head to strike the victim’s head after a heated exchange of words. The victim fell to the floor, began twitching and reportedly sustained a concussion.

The attack, captured on video, happened around 2:25 a.m. in the BYU-Idaho Hart Building dance studio where Lauese and the victim were cleaning the building.

After signing the agreement, Magistrate Judge Mark Rammell allowed Lauese to be released from jail.

Lauese is scheduled for arraignment in district court on Jan. 27, 2020 where felony cases are handled. A sentencing date will be set once Lauese is arraigned.

Editors Note: This article has been updated to include statements from Attorney Peter Neufeld

IDAHO FALLS — After spending nearly half his life behind bars for a crime he didn’t commit, Christopher Tapp will now seek restitution from the city of Idaho Falls through a lawsuit.

Before Christmas, Tapp sent the city notice he intends to sue the Idaho Falls Police Department, according to legal documents obtained by EastIdahoNews.com through a records request.

“Mr. Tapp will seek damages for his unjust conviction and imprisonment for over twenty years,” the notice reads.

The notice, which was first reported by the Post Register, is a precursor to the lawsuit itself, which will be filed at a future date. The notice was filed by Peter Neufeld of Neufeld, Scheck & Brustin, a New York City law firm.

Neufeld called all the evidence and experts proclaiming Tapp’s innocence and the police departments digging in of their heals on wrong conviction “disturbing.” He said Tapp missed out on what most people would experience in life by going into prison as a young man and being released some 20 years later.

WATCH: Entire Chris Tapp exoneration hearing

The notice claims the police department violated Tapp’s First, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Eighth and Fourteenth Amendment rights. It also includes claims of false arrest, false imprisonment, conspiracy and defamation.

Idaho Falls spokesman Bud Cranor confirmed to EastIdahoNews.com the city received the notice.

The future lawsuit revolves around the 1996 rape and murder of Angie Dodge. Tapp was convicted of the crime and sent to prison in 1998 after he confessed. However, the validity of that confession was later questioned, and eventually, DNA evidence discovered early on in the case, was found to not match Tapp’s DNA.

The person the DNA belonged to was later identified as Brian Dripps, who arrested and charged with raping and murdering Dodge.

On July 17, Tapp was officially exonerated during a court hearing.

“Tapp is innocent of and had nothing to do with this crime,” the notice reads. “… he was convicted of the rape and murder of Ms. Dodge on the basis of gross misconduct committed by the Idaho Falls Police Department and its officers.”

READ: The notice sent by Tapp to the Idaho Falls Police Department

Idaho Falls Police issued the following statement to the media:

“The Idaho Falls Police Department is proud of the work done in recent months that lead to the arrest of Mr. Dripps and additional information about the Angie Dodge case,” IFPD spokeswoman Jessica Clements said. “The city has received notice of Mr. Tapp’s intent to file a lawsuit and will participate in the process moving forward.”

Neufeld told EastIdahoNews.com Friday the behavior of the Idaho Falls Police Department over the past several months is not an excuse for what happened to Tapp.

“There is no way they can defend their behavior for the last 24 years,” Neufeld said.

Brian Dripps is scheduled for a jury trial in early 2021.

ST. ANTHONY — A St. Anthony man is awaiting sentencing on rape charges after he engaged in a sexual relationship with a teenage girl for several months.

On Aug. 22, prosecutors arrested and charged 20-year-old Logan Adams with two felony counts of rape of a teenage girl and misdemeanor disseminating harmful material. In Idaho, a minor cannot legally consent to sex, and any sexual activity is considered a crime by the adult.

Just over a month later, prosecutors charged Adams with another three felony counts of possession of sexually exploitative material of a child.

Redacted police reports were released in this case following a public records request sent on Dec. 11 by EastIdahoNews.com.

During interviews with police, investigators learned a then-19-year-old Adams begun a relationship with a 15-year-old victim in Sept. 2018. The victim told a forensic interviewer she had known Adams for several years, and their sexual relationship began when he broke things off with his ex-wife for cheating on him and “she was there to comfort Logan after the breakup.”

“(Adams) did not pressure her and she thinks she was not raped by him,” an investigator wrote in his report.

After October 2018 came around, the two told the victim’s parents about their sexual relationship and were not allowed to see each other for a while.

“They were told (by her parents) if they would wait until she turned 18 all would be okay,” officers said in the report. “They had a plan to get married, names of their children and planned the wedding. They were both advised to not be more than friends but they decided to be more than friends.”

The relationship continued and Adams would pick her up from school during class time. According to the report, they would watch movies, smoke marijuana and have sex. The relationship ended earlier this year after the victim’s mother discovered on an app that she was at Adam’s home.

“(The victim) said that her dad didn’t want to potentially ruin Logan’s life, but he took (his daughter) to the police station to do a report,” an investigator writes in the report. “Dad also talked with his (Adam’s) parents to get Logan in to report it.”

Adams did not report the relationship to police, however, officers did investigate the case. Investigators obtained both the victim’s and Adam’s phone and discovered explicit images Adams sent to the teen while the sexual abuse was occurring. Investigators also discovered over 200 pornographic images of the victim on Adam’s phone.

Adams was released from jail in August after posting a $10,000 bond.

The signed plea agrement

As part of a plea agreement signed by Adams on Dec. 5, prosecutors dismissed the three felony counts of possession of sexually exploitative material of a child in exchange for Adams to plead guilty to the two felony counts of rape of a teenage girl and misdemeanor disseminating harmful material.

The plea agreement outlines the prosecution will recommend Adams be sentenced to three to 10 years for each of the rape charges. For the misdemeanor crime, the state will ask Adams to be sentenced to one year in jail. The sentences are to be served together.

With the sentencing recommendations, the plea agreement stipulates prosecutors ask the court to retain jurisdiction on Adam’s case. In a retained jurisdiction or rider program, the defendant is placed into an Idaho Department of Correction facility to receive intensive programming and education. Once an offender completes the rider, the court decides to either place them on probation or sentence them to incarceration. A rider is typically six-months to one-year long.

The plea agreement is non-binding on the court, meaning the Judge does not need to listen to the prosecutors’ recommendations.

Adams is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 25 at the Fremont County Courthouse.

Under Idaho Law Adams will have to register as a sex offender. He has no prior criminal record in Idaho.

REXBURG — Investigators have received hundreds of possible tips regarding the location of 7-year-old Joshua “JJ” Vallow and 17-year-old Tylee Ryan.

“I don’t think we’re any closer than what we were two weeks ago … (and) time is always of the essence in any case, especially something like this,” Rexburg Police Capt. Gary Hagen told EastIdahoNews.com on Friday.

The tips have been coming in from all across the country since the kids’ disappearance was announced last Friday. Hagen says he has a team of eight officers that spend a great deal of time following up and coordinating checks on the credible tips they receive.

The department also continues to have regular meetings with the FBI’s Salt Lake City office, the Fremont County Sheriff’s office, and police in the Arizona cities of Chandler and Gilbert. They are interviewing family and friends, following leads and they continue to monitor the situation.

“Every investigative tool out there, we’ve been using,” Hagen said. “Right now, we’re just actively seeking those kids and doing follow-ups with all those tips that have been pouring in. Maybe we have a tip in the pile that we are going through and something in five minutes will break.”

Joshua and Taylee have been missing since September, and their mother, Lori Daybell, and stepfather, Chad Daybell, are refusing to cooperate with police in their attempts to speak with the children to perform a welfare check.

RELATED: Police searching for Rexburg children believed to be in serious danger

Although they have been named persons of interest in the disappearance of the children, no charges have been filed. Hagen says police still simply want to speak to the parents about the whereabouts of Joshua and Taylee.

“We just strongly feel that if the mom and dad felt like or if they knew that the kids were safe, they would show proof of it, but we have yet to see anything,” Hagen said.

The Daybells have retained Rexburg attorney Sean Bartholick, of Rigby, Andrus & Rigby, to act as their spokesman and legal counsel. Hagen confirms local prosecutors are in talks with Bartholick, but the details of those conversations can’t be shared publicly.

Chad and Lori Daybell are believed to have “abruptly left town” in late November without the children. Police are not sure of their whereabouts, although Bartholick says he is in contact with them.

The Daybells have stayed quiet throughout the investigation, only releasing a brief statement to the media through their attorney.

“Chad Daybell was a loving husband and has the support of his children in this matter,” Monday’s statement to EastIdahoNews.com said. “Lori Daybell is a devoted mother and resents assertions to the contrary. We look forward to addressing the allegations once they have moved beyond speculation and rumor.”

RELATED: Parents of missing Rexburg children issue statement, attorney says they are ‘loving’ and ‘devoted’

On Friday, Hagen did address rumors that cropped up online that this is all related to a child custody battle.

“That’s what they claim, but we have proved that there is no active custody battle,” Hagen said.

Police say the last time anyone saw Joshua and Tylee was in Rexburg in September. The Daybells were last seen Nov. 26.

RELATED: Police release photos of mother, stepdad who are now ‘persons of interest’ in connection to children’s disappearance

Investigations into spouses’ deaths

Investigators also continue to look at connections between the missing children case and the deaths of the Daybells’ former spouses.

Daybell’s first wife, Tammy, was found dead in her Fremont County home on Oct. 19, according to a release from the Rexburg Police Department. Authorities initially thought her death was from natural causes but have since deemed her death suspicious and exhumed her remains on Dec. 11.

Fremont County Sheriff Len Humphries told EastIdahoNews.com on Friday investigators are still awaiting results from the autopsy, before they can move forward. It will be several weeks before the results are released.

Humphries also said Bartholick contacted his office to notify them that he is representing the Daybells, but Humphries said no other information was yielded from that conversation.

Chad and Lori are thought to have been married several weeks after the death of Tammy Daybell.

The couple is also possibly connected to the death of Lori’s former spouse, Charles Vallow, who was shot and killed in July by her brother Alex Cox. Authorities in Maricopa County, Arizona, are investigating that case as well. Police in Arizona have not released any updates as of Friday afternoon.

No charges have been filed in either case.

Help finding the children

Joshua is a 7-year-old with brown hair and brown eyes. He is 4 feet tall and weighs 50 pounds. Tylee is a 17-year-old with blond hair and blue eyes. She is 5 feet tall and weighs 160 pounds.

Lori Vallow Daybell is 46 years old, and has blond hair and blue eyes. She weighs 125 pounds and is 5 feet, 6 inches tall. Chad Daybell is 51 years old, and has brown hair and blue eyes. He weighs 230 pounds and is 6 feet, 3 inches tall.

Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of the children is asked to contact the Rexburg Police Department, at (208) 359-3000, or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), at (800) THE-LOST.

IDAHO FALLS — An Idaho Falls man has been arrested for allegedly assaulting a woman on Christmas Day.

On Thursday, Bonneville County Sheriff’s deputies were sent to investigate a report of domestic violence at a home in Idaho Falls.

The victim told police that Fabian C. Taguinod, 29, allegedly attacked her by grabbing her by the neck and shoving her up a flight of stairs in front of her children the night before.

Taguinod was arrested and charged with felony counts of domestic violence with traumatic injury and attempted strangulation.

According to court documents, one of the victim’s relatives showed deputies photos of when Taguinod allegedly attacked the victim two weeks prior. Deputies saw bruising on the victim’s eye, cheek, back, arm chest and chin. She also had small cuts on her neck and bottom lip.

The victim told the deputies that Taguinod has been controlling and physically abusing her since 2005.

When deputies spoke to Taguinod about the claims, he denied ever hurting the victim but agreed to leave the home.

Once Taguinod left the home, deputies took pictures of the bruising on the victim’s neck and she told them that Taguinod had allegedly pressed a knife to her throat hard enough to leave small cuts behind.

According to a Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office news release, the victim also told deputies Taguinod had forced her to perform a sexual act.

One of the deputies helped the victim get to the Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Center to get a civil protection order against Taguinod. The other deputy stayed at the home to wait for them to return.

According to documents, while the victim and the deputy were at the Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Center, the victim told the deputy that Taguinod had allegedly strangled her on Dec. 10. She said he grabbed her by the neck and that she had felt lightheaded, dizzy and her vision blurred. She said she still has pain when swallowing.

When questioned, Taguinod allegedly denied the claim but said that he had “bear-hugged” her because she was being loud, and he took her to the bedroom. He also said he has held her down when she is being loud to get her to calm down.

Taguinod was arrested and booked into the Bonneville County Jail and given a $20,000 bond. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan. 10.

MOUNTAIN HOME (Idaho Statesman) — The Idaho Humane Society helped Mountain Home authorities rescue 55 dogs and three cats from a 600-square-foot house on Thursday, and Kathleen Schweikert, 60, was later charged with 58 felony counts of animal cruelty.

Police and shelter officials sought the Idaho Humane Society’s help to provide veterinary care, food and shelter, the organization said. The animals were living in “deplorable conditions,” according to a Facebook post from IHS.

“Mountain Home firefighters entered the home in hazmat gear and oxygen in order to air it out appropriately for our staff to enter,” the Idaho Humane Society’s Facebook post said.

Mountain Home Police Chief Scott Conners said Schweikert was booked into the Elmore County Jail, and her bail was set at $17,400, according to the Elmore County Sheriff’s Office website.

In addition to the animal cruelty counts, she was charged with not having animal licenses (50 counts) and not having a kennel license (one count). She also faces two misdemeanors for violating a city ordinance that prohibits more than three adult pets in one household, and for resisting and obstructing a warrant for search, police said.

Most of the dogs rescued were Papillons, a breed of toy dog that generally weighs less than 10 pounds. A Facebook fundraiser posted by the Idaho Humane Society for the dogs already had raised more than $6,000 on Friday.

BLACKFOOT — The Bingham County Sheriff’s Office is investigating an apparent murder/suicide that occurred sometime before Friday evening.

Deputies responded to a home northwest of Blackfoot at about 9:30 p.m. Friday to perform a welfare check on the home’s occupants, according to a Bingham County news release.

When officers arrived they could see a person sitting in a chair, but they had to breach the door so they could check on the people in the house.

Officers discovered Bevin Chippewa, 45, in a bedroom and it appeared that he had been shot and killed.

Officers also found Jeffrey Phelps, 50, in the living room in a chair. He appeared to have committed suicide.

Detectives were called and the investigation is ongoing. No more information is expected to be released until Monday.

CORRECTION: A previous version of this story misidentified Jeffrey Phelps.

(CNN) — When a woman walked up to the counter of a McDonald’s in Lodi, California, the employees likely expected her to order a Big Mac or large fries. Instead, she begged them to help her.

The woman told an employee to call 911, gave them her license plate number and asked them to hide her, San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post.

A police investigation would later reveal that she was traveling with a man who had a history of abusing her. That day, he had threatened her with a firearm and demanded that she drive him to see his family.

After using the McDonald’s restroom, the woman tried to approach the counter again to make an order, police said. But the man she was traveling with stopped her and demanded that she use the drive-thru.

Even in the drive-thru, the woman continued to send distressed messages to employees, mouthing “help me” through the window to a restaurant worker, police said.

As she was in the drive-thru, police arrived and employees quickly pointed them to the woman in her car with the man in the passenger seat.

Police found a stolen firearm in the trunk of the vehicle and arrested the man.

He faces four felony charges, including criminal threats, stolen property and possession of a firearm as prohibited person. His bail is set at $360,000.

She picked the right McDonald’s

The woman chose the right place to ask for help.

The Golden State Restaurant Group, which owns the McDonald’s location she went to, has certified each of its restaurants as a “Safe Place.”

The Safe Place program is a national youth and prevention program for “young people in need of immediate help and safety,” says the restaurant group’s website.

The program creates a network of locations, including schools, fire stations, libraries and businesses, that display distinctive yellow and black safe place signs. Young people can go to locations with these signs in times of crisis to find a secure place to stay and be connected with a youth service agency or shelter, the program website says.

There are more than 20,000 Safe Place sites across the US.

People in need of a Safe Place location can check their interactive map or text the word “safe” along with their location (city, state, or zip code) to 4HELP (44357). They will receive a reply with the closest Safe Place and the number of their local youth agency.

“We are proud of our team for doing their part in being A SAFE PLACE!” Golden State McDonald’s said in a Facebook post.

“Thank you to our team for handling this appropriately, and to the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office Deputies who are constantly serving and protecting our community! We are proud to be in support with both A Safe Place and all of our law enforcement! Thank you for all of the community support and please always be safe and aware!”

WHITE SETTLEMENT, Texas (AP) — Congregants shot and killed a man who opened fire in a church near Fort Worth, Texas, on Sunday, killing the attacker, police said.

A person shot by the suspect also died and a second parishioner has life-threatening injuries following the attack at the West Freeway Church of Christ, White Settlement Police Department Chief J.P. Bevering said during a news conference Sunday afternoon.

The assailant fired once before the “heroic actions” of the congregants retaliated to cut his assault short, Bevering said.

“Unfortunately, this country has seen so many of these that we’ve actually gotten used to it at this point. And it’s tragic and it’s a terrible situation, especially during the holiday season,” Jeoff Williams, a regional director with the Texas Department of Public Safety, said at the news conference. “I would like to point out that we have a couple of heroic parishioners who stopped short of just anything that you can even imagine, saved countless lives, and our hearts are going out to them and their families as well.”

Authorities have released scant details about the victims, the shooter and what led to the attack.

An elder at the church told the New York Times that one of those killed was a security guard who responded to the shooter, calling him a dear friend.

“He was trying to do what he needed to do to protect the rest of us,” said the elder, Mike Tinius.

“It’s extremely upsetting to see anyone committing violence,” he said.

Tinius said he didn’t know the gunman and that the shooting appeared to be random.

A woman who answered the phone at the West Freeway Church of Christ told the AP she could not answer any questions and that she was told to direct inquiries to authorities.

WFAA, a Dallas-based TV station, reported that the church live-streamed the service on YouTube and that the video showed a man wearing a long coat produce a rifle or a shotgun which he fired twice before someone shot back. Some members of the congregation ducked behind pews while others with handguns rushed the gunman, WFAA said. It said church members can be heard screaming and crying.

The AP hasn’t seen the video, which is marked as private on the video-sharing website.

Two people with minor injuries were treated at the scene, MedStar Mobile Healthcare spokeswoman Macara Trusty said.
Gov. Greg Abbott asked the state to pray for the victims, their loved ones and the community of White Settlement, about 8 miles (12 kilometers) west of Fort Worth.

“Places of worship are meant to be sacred, and I am grateful for the church members who acted quickly to take down the shooter and help prevent further loss of life,” Abbott said in a tweeted statement.

It is not the first deadly shooting to take place at a church in Texas. In November 2017, Devin Patrick Kelley opened fire on the congregation at a church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, killing more than two dozen worshippers, before taking his own life.

MONSEY, New York (AP) — A knife-wielding man stormed into a rabbi’s home and stabbed five people as they celebrated Hanukkah in an Orthodox Jewish community north of New York City, an ambush the governor said Sunday was an act of domestic terrorism fueled by intolerance and a “cancer” of growing hatred in America.

Police tracked a fleeing suspect to Manhattan and made an arrest within two hours of the attack Saturday night in Monsey. Grafton E. Thomas had blood all over his clothing, smelled of bleach but said “almost nothing” when officers stopped him, officials said.

An automated license plate reader alerted officers that the suspect’s car had crossed over the George Washington Bridge into New York City about an hour after the attack. Thomas was stopped and taken into custody about 20-30 minutes later, NYPD commissioner Dermot Shea said.

Security camera footage the NYPD made public Sunday night showed two officers approaching Thomas’ sedan with guns drawn before the suspect placed his hands on the roof of the car and he was put in handcuffs.

President Donald Trump condemned the “horrific” attack, saying in a tweet Sunday that “We must all come together to fight, confront, and eradicate the evil scourge of anti-Semitism.”

Thomas, 37, was arraigned Sunday and pleaded not guilty to five counts of attempted murder and one count of burglary. Bail was set at $5 million and he remains jailed. He didn’t answer questions as authorities escorted him to a waiting vehicle.

Thomas’ criminal history includes an arrest for assaulting a police horse, according to an official briefed on the investigation who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. A lawyer representing Thomas at the arraignment said he had no convictions.

The Greenwood Lake street where Thomas lived with his mother, about 20 miles from Monsey, was blocked with police tape Sunday as FBI agents and police officers carried items from their home.

The FBI is seeking a warrant to obtain his online accounts and were scouring digital evidence, the official said. They are also looking into his mental health history.

The family’s pastor, the Rev. Wendy Paige, said Thomas has been suffering from mental illness and that his family believes that condition was the cause of the alleged stabbings — not hatred toward Jewish people. She said his family is sorry for the pain he has caused.

The stabbings on the seventh night of Hanukkah left one person critically wounded, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. The rabbi’s son was also injured, he said. Authorities have not provided a motive and Shea said investigators do not believe, at this point, that any other people were involved in the attack.

The attack was the latest in a string of violence targeting Jews in the region, including a Dec. 10 massacre at a kosher grocery store in New Jersey. Last month in Monsey, a man was stabbed while walking to a synagogue.

Cuomo said Saturday’s savagery was the 13th anti-Semitic attack in New York since Dec. 8 and endemic of “an American cancer on the body politic.”

“This is violence spurred by hate, it is mass violence and I consider this an act of domestic terrorism,” Cuomo said. “Let’s call it what it is.”

Ramapo Police Chief Brad Weidel said it was unclear why the rabbi’s house was targeted or if a specific ideology motivated the suspect. According to the official briefed on the investigation, authorities do not believe Thomas is connected to recent anti-Semitic incidents in New York City.

Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., called on the FBI to investigate possible links between the Monsey stabbing spree and other recent attacks. The Simon Wiesenthal Center said it wants the FBI to create a special task force.

“Enough talk, it is time for action to deter those who propagate this hatred,” Israeli U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon said.
The stabbings happened around 10 p.m. Saturday at the home of Rabbi Chaim Rottenberg, located next door to his Congregation Netzach Yisroel synagogue. The large house on Forshay Road remained cordoned off with yellow crime-scene tape Sunday.

“The guy came in wielding a big knife, sword, machete — I don’t know what it was,” said Josef Gluck, who hit the assailant with a coffee table during the attack.

“He took it out of his holder, started swinging,” Gluck said.

Levy Kraus, 15, said he was outside the rabbi’s home when he saw a tall man enter with an object.

“He had something in his hand. It looked like an umbrella. It was covered,” Kraus said.

Later, he said he saw the man rushing out of the house and screaming at someone, “I’ll get you.”

Rabbi Motti Seligson, the media director of the Chabad Lubavitch movement, said witnesses told him that people fled the house and went to the synagogue where they locked themselves in. Rabbi Rottenberg led the service at the synagogue later, he said.

Weidel said a witness saw the suspect fleeing in a car and alerted police to the license plate number. Police entered that information into a database and used plate reader technology to track the vehicle to Manhattan, where Thomas was arrested.

“It was critical to the case,” Weidel said.

Thomas played football for two seasons at William Paterson University in New Jersey. No one answered a telephone number listed for his address and the voicemail box was full.

Monsey, near the New Jersey state line about 35 miles (56 kilometers) north of New York City, is one of several Hudson Valley communities that has seen a rising population of Hasidic Jews in recent years.

At a celebration in Monsey on Sunday that was planned before the shooting, several members of the community stood guard armed with assault-style rifles. They refused to give their names when approached by an AP journalist, but they said they were there to defend their community.

Jewish communities in the New York City metropolitan area have been left shaken following the deadly Dec. 10 shooting rampage at a Jersey City kosher market.

Six people — three people who had been inside the store, a police officer and the two killers — died in the gunbattle and standoff that New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal has said was “fueled” by hatred of Jews and law enforcement.
Last month, a man was stabbed while walking to a synagogue in the same town that was the site of Saturday night’s attack; he required surgery. It’s unclear whether the assailant has been arrested.

And this past week in New York City itself, police have received at least six reports — eight since Dec. 13 — of attacks possibly motivated by anti-Jewish bias. Mayor Bill de Blasio said Friday that police presence would increase in Brooklyn neighborhoods home to large Jewish populations.

Additional New York City police officers were being be sent to areas of Brooklyn with high Jewish populations, along with lighting towers and additional security cameras, de Blasio said.

The mayor also announced the formation of multi-ethnic, interfaith safety coalitions that would meet to strategize about disrupting potential hate crimes before they happen. He said some city schools in Brooklyn will also incorporate hate-crimes awareness into their curriculum.

“The Jewish community is utterly terrified,” Evan Bernstein, the regional director of the Anti-Defamation League of New York and New Jersey, said in a statement. “No one should have to live like this. How many more times will it take for people in the Orthodox Jewish community to be terrorized with violence before something changes?”