Quantcast
Channel: Crime Watch Archives - East Idaho News
Viewing all 9143 articles
Browse latest View live

Jameion Hernandez pleads guilty to murdering woman with baseball bat

$
0
0
Watch Jameion Hernandez recount the events leading up to the brutal murder of Lisa Stukey | Mike Price, EastIdahoNews.com

IDAHO FALLS — A man who murdered a woman with a baseball bat pleaded guilty to first-degree murder Tuesday morning.

As part of an agreement with the prosecution, Jameion K. Hernandez, 20, agreed to plead guilty to the murder of 62-year-old Lisa Stukey. In turn, the prosecution has agreed not to seek the death penalty in this case, but is free to argue up to the maximum of life in prison.

The agreement also allows Hernandez to argue at sentencing.

During Tuesday’s hearing, Hernandez recounted the events leading up to him brutally murdering Stukey in her home on June 16, 2017.

RELATED: Detective: Hernandez broke into Lisa Stukey’s home, killed her with a baseball bat

Hernandez’s Statement:

“So, I basically got off work at one in the morning,” Hernandez said. “I was just having a really hard day, I guess. I came home and started to have a few drinks and then left my house because she — Lisa — lived right down the street from my house.

I had felt a lot of anger and resentment towards her for her actions in which she had separated my grandfather from my family ultimately leading to his death. And, in that process, she had managed to somehow get him to write my dad out of his will, essentially.

And this is from my own perspective on it, but, and to me, I feel like that played a major role in why parents are having issues. From my point of view, I felt as if this financial loss was a big blow to their relationship and stability. And to me my family is everything, you know. So, this woman destroyed that — all of it.

And when I went to her house I didn’t think she was there, honestly. I kicked in her back door because I was just going to take some stuff and then break a few things, you know. I don’t know why. And I went and she ended up being home and I got scared and I left.

Then I had a few more drinks and then I cam back with a bat. And, I went to her room. I didn’t know where she was until she came out of her room. So, I knew where her room was but I didn’t know where she was sleeping. And I like went into her room.

I was wearing all black. I had gloves on so, it was basically planned out. And I went in there. She got up and walked right in front of me. I stepped behind her and she turned around and I hit her in the head. She fell down and then she started to … well I started looking around, you know because I was panicking at this point.

And she sat back up, scared me, and so I hit her again. Then I hit her some more times. So, I was pretty positive she was dead. I took some things and then I left.”

In early July 2017, the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office discovered the severely decomposed body of Stukey inside her home on Ross Avenue in Ammon.

RELATED: Man arrested for murder in connection to decomposing body

Hernandez was arrested for Stukey’s murder and booked into Bonneville County Jail without bond on July 19, 2017. He pleaded not guilty to the crime on Dec. 5.

District Judge Dane Watkins accepted Hernandez’s guilty plea Tuesday. Sentencing is scheduled for July 16. Hernandez is facing up to life in prison.


Pocatello woman sentenced for insurance fraud

$
0
0

The following is a news release from the State of Idaho Office of the Attorney General.

POCATELLO — Attorney General Lawrence Wasden has announced a Bannock County woman was sentenced Monday, April 16, for one count of Insurance Fraud.

Sixth District Judge Stephen Dunn sentenced 68-year-old Jeanne Hymas, of Pocatello, after she pleaded guilty in January.

Judge Dunn granted a withheld judgment and ordered Hymas to pay $885 in restitution to the Idaho Department of Insurance and court costs of $245. A review hearing is scheduled for Oct. 15, during which the court will entertain a motion to dismiss the charge if Hymas has paid her restitution and court costs by that time.

An investigation determined that in Oct. 2014, Hymas provided false information to Allstate to support a water damage claim at her late mother’s home, which was covered under her mother’s policy. Hymas portrayed to the insurance company that her mother was in an assisted living center, though her mother had passed away three years earlier. Hymas admitted to an investigator that she lied because she was afraid the claim would not be covered if she told Allstate that her mother was deceased.

The case was investigated by the state Department of Insurance. It was prosecuted by Deputy Attorney General Nicole Schafer in the Attorney General’s Special Prosecutions Unit.

Utah man will face jury for allegedly raping relative

$
0
0

FREMONT COUNTY — A Utah man accused of drugging and raping a family member is preparing to head to a jury trial in May.

Jacob Oberg, 26, appeared in court Monday for a pre-trial conference. He is charged with one count of rape after the alleged incident took place while on a camping trip in Island Park last June. Oberg pleaded not guilty to the charge in December.

During Monday’s court hearing, Oberg’s defense attorney Joshua Garner argued the search warrant that was granted to search Oberg’s presumed cell phone should be invalidated. Garner said the warrant had an incorrect phone number belonging to the defendant. Garner said the warrant hardly had any details describing the phone other than it was a Samsung Galaxy device justifying a null warrant.

“With regard to the search warrant, there was no SKU number, no serial number, there was no attached description of the phone – like a picture of the phone to be searched,” Garner said.

Detectives searched the phone they believed Oberg used to document the incident. They also found numerous Snapchat messages between Oberg and the victim on the phone along with a picture message of what appeared to be a male and a female having sex with an explicit caption. Messages suggest the victim could be in the photo.

Deputies also found messages where the victim confronted Oberg about “slipping something into her drink” and that she knew about the alleged rape. The victim also said she wasn’t going to tell anyone because she didn’t want to hurt other relatives.

In the Snapchat messages, Oberg replied, “Ok sorry that I went too far, I was drunk, I know that is no exvuse (sic).”

Prosecuting attorney Marica Murdoch argued the defendant’s phone was owned by his step-father, and that he sent the phone to Fremont County detectives.

Murdoch said there was a correct number listed on a portion of the incident report that was attached, and that a clerical error was made on the detective’s part.

“There’s a harmless error in this situation, and no reason to get rid of the search warrant, or any evidence that was obtained therefrom,” Murdoch said. “There’s nothing that we didn’t know before that we know now that wouldn’t give us probable cause to rely upon to get a new search warrant and go forward with the new search.”

In addition, Garner believed because information on the phone wasn’t obtained properly, that any information found on the phone should be suppressed.

“I’ve asked the court to issue an order prohibiting the introduction of any Snapchat messages in this case,” Garner said.

District Judge Darren Simpson has not made a decision on what to do with the motion as yet.

The judge asked the prosecution for jury instructions and exhibits in preparation for the trial and discussed how many people should be pooled for a jury selection. The court clerk recommended 100.

“Just so the court’s aware, East Idaho News has recently picked up this case. I’m not sure how that happened. Given that they’ve asked to record some of these hearings and proceedings, I wonder if it might be wise to include a few more people in that jury pool because we don’t know who may have seen that,” Murdoch said.

“Typically I use about 80 (so) we should be okay with 100,” Simpson responded.

Oberg will appear in court for his jury trial on May 14.

Local man sentenced after sexual contact with 14-year-old

$
0
0
Arick Levacy-Sabin

IDAHO FALLS — A man who convinced a 14-year-old girl to perform a sex act on him was sentenced to up to 10 years in prison.

Arick Levacy-Sabin, 28, will undergo a one-year rider treatment program in Boise after having sexual contact with a 14-year-old girl who was known to him. District Judge Bruce Pickett sentenced Levacy-Sabin to three years fixed plus seven years indeterminate; however, he chose to retain jurisdiction and send Levacy-Sabin on a rider. If Levacy-Sabin completes the rider, he could be released on parole or sent to prison to complete his sentence.

Levacy-Sabin was arrested Aug. 8, 2017, and booked into the Bonneville County Jail. He was originally charged with felony lewd conduct with a minor under 16. That charge was later amended to felony injury to a child as part of a plea agreement.

“This has been a real ordeal, and I am so so sorry for what happened and what I did,” Levacy-Sabin said in a statement during sentencing. “I betrayed a lot of trust in not only my own family and (the victim’s) but in what my true beliefs are, and I want to resolve this.”

Douglas Knutson, Levacy-Sabin’s defense attorney, argued the pre-sentencing investigation revealed there was only one incident with the victim, and Levacy-Sabin has not had any other victims. Knutson also argued the pre-sentencing investigation shows Levacy-Sabin does not demonstrate sexually deviant interests.

Knutson requested Levacy-Sabin be given probation.

Madison County Deputy Prosecutor Rob Wood was assigned as a special prosecutor for this case due to a conflict of interest between the Bonneville County Prosecutor’s Office and Levacy-Sabin.

Wood argued an aggravating factor uncovered by the pre-sentencing investigation shows Levacy-Sabin had a history of stealing woman’s underwear and using them to masturbate when he was 24.

Court documents show Levacy-Sabin and the victim were alone on July 3, 2016, preparing for a company party. Sabin allegedly told the victim about being sexually frustrated and bragged about having intercourse with multiple women.

After the two talked, Levacy-Sabin asked if the victim wanted to perform oral sex on him. Court documents indicate the victim didn’t respond to the request immediately and Levacy-Sabin walked away. Levacy-Sabin returned and asked the victim again if she would perform oral sex on him. Documents state the victim “didn’t know what to say” so she responded that she would.

Four months later, on Oct. 30, 2016, police responded to a call from the victim’s father. When authorities arrived at the victim’s home, they learned of the sexual contact Levacy-Sabin had with the victim.

“After what happened to me, my grades had plummeted, I lost countless amounts of sleep, I got diagnosed with depression and anxiety (and) I had two counts of attempted suicide,” the victim said tearfully during her victim impact statement. “It’s also affected my family greatly. Many of my relationships have changed. It is hard for me to trust other males. It is hard for me to have male teachers or male counselors.”

No charges against trooper who fired seven shots at teenage girl

$
0
0

POWER COUNTY — An Idaho State Police trooper has been cleared of any wrongdoing in a Power County officer-involved shooting from November 2017.

Bonneville County Prosecutor Daniel Clark was asked to review the case that involved Idaho State Trooper Travis Gurney. Gurney fired seven shots at a vehicle being driven by a teenage girl who had a female passenger with her. Their names have not been released.

Clark’s review of the incident found Gurney was justified in his actions.

“I have concluded that there is no evidence to support a criminal charge against Trooper Gurney for the discharge of his firearm at (the driver),” Clark said in his report.

On Nov. 13, 2017, around 4 p.m., Power County Dispatch received a 911 call of a stolen white Chevrolet Tahoe headed eastbound on Interstate 86 between the American Falls exits, according to Clark’s report. Minutes later law enforcement located the vehicle. It was confirmed the vehicle was stolen out of Burley.

The vehicle pulled over to the side of the road when approached by patrol cars with lights activated. However, when law enforcement attempted to approach the vehicle, the driver drove away. Law enforcement gave chase, reaching speeds upwards of 112 miles per hour until the vehicle exited the interstate.

When the vehicle exited, it maintained speeds of up to 100 miles per hour on East County Road. Gurney attempted to set up spike strips at the intersection of East County Road and US 30.

Police dash camera video showed the vehicle swerved to avoid the spike strips and drove directly towards Gurney, according to Clark’s report. As Gurney moved out of the way of the vehicle, he fired his weapon seven times toward the driver. Nobody was hit by the gunfire.

The vehicle continued to drive into Pocatello city limits and finally crashed into the back of another vehicle at the intersection of Poleline Road and Yellowstone Avenue.

The Bannock County Sheriff’s Office and the Pocatello Police Department apprehended the two females. No one involved received any major injuries.

“The facts in this case reveal that (the driver), through her unlawful acts, made herself a clear and immediate danger to law enforcement officers who were engaged in the lawful performance of their duties, as well as a danger to the public at large,” Clark said in the report.

BLM offering cash reward after tires are stolen from government facility

$
0
0
Photo courtesy Bureau of Land Management

SALMON — The Bureau of Land Management is offering a $500 reward for information leading to the prosecution of the individual(s) who illegally removed several tires from a government facility.

The incident occurred sometime between April 12 and April 16, when an individual bypassed the secured chain link fence and entered the Salmon Field Office’s wareyard. Four tires were removed from a cargo trailer and a spare tire was removed from an adjacent trailer. The estimate to replace the tires and ratchet straps damaged in the incident totaled $1,407.

“This is a very unfortunate incident that is going to slow our work down,” said Linda Price, Salmon Field Manager. “I am hopeful we can track down the responsible party.”

The BLM is working closely with local law enforcement in the investigation. If you have any information regarding the incident, the BLM urges you to call its law enforcement staff at 208-524-7590.

Pocatello police called to disturbance involving firearm

$
0
0

The following is a news release from the Pocatello Police Department.

POCATELLO — The Pocatello Police Department responded to a residence on Mt. Borah Place Friday around 1:15 p.m. regarding a disturbance reported to be involving a firearm.

During the incident, the area around the residence was blocked off while police investigated. Officers have since cleared the residence and there is no further threat to persons or residents residing in the area.

No arrests or charges have been pursued at this time. No reported injuries occurred during the incident.

Couple arrested for hiding man’s body in closet of Utah home

$
0
0

PROVO, Utah – Police have arrested two people after a man was found dead in the closet of a Provo, Utah home.

Police found the man’s body while searching a CastleBrook Condos unit on April 13.

Investigators said 20-year-old Dallas Joe Juggert and 20-year-old Mary Loueze Mace are believed to have stowed the dead man there.

Utah County documents state Juggert called a relative and said the man had overdosed on April 7 and that he was scared to report it because they had been using drugs and he was trying to regain custody of his son.

He also told the relative that he had contacted someone who goes by the name “Cupcake,” who has a “clean-up crew,” to dispose of the man’s body and any evidence.

Before that could happen, Juggert found out his roommate’s father was coming to the house. Police said the pair panicked and ran, leaving the man’s body in the closet.

That’s where police discovered it before Mace and Juggert could return.

Officers found Mace and Juggert April 19 at the Valley Inn Motel at 1425 S. State St., where they had been staying, unbeknownst to the business.

Juggert had a copy of the room key from a previous stay.

At the room, officers spoke with Mace, who gave them a false name and told them she was alone.

Officers asked her to prove no one else was there.

Mace wouldn’t let the officers in but showed them video of the room on her phone which accidentally revealed Juggert hiding in the bathroom.

Investigators also found meth paraphernalia and marijuana in the room.

Officers arrested the pair for desecration of a body, obstruction of justice and drug possession.

This article was originally published by fellow CNN affiliate KSTU. It is used here with permission.


2 charged with possession of controlled substance, injury to child

$
0
0

POWER COUNTY — A man and women are being charged with possession of a controlled substance and injury to a child after being arrested Friday.

Timberly J. Hernandez, 43, and James R. Jockumsen, 48, were taken into custody after the Power County Sheriff’s Office, American Falls Police Department and Aberdeen Police Department executed a search warrant on the 200 block of Lincoln St. in American Falls.

Numerous items of drug paraphernalia and methamphetamine were located within the residence and property, according to a news release from the Power County Sheriff’s Office.

The couple was being held at the Power County Detention Facility and are expected to be arraigned Monday.

Police: Naked man burglarizes Utah home in attempt to steal clothing

$
0
0

SALT LAKE CITY — Authorities responded to a call about a naked burglar in Salt Lake City on Monday afternoon.

Around 5 p.m. officers went to a house near 800 West and 200 North in the Rose Park neighborhood. A homeowner had called saying he caught the burglar in the house.

“The guy in the house was naked, he was looking for a change of clothes,” Salt Lake City Police Department Lt. Russ Ammott said. “The homeowner found a man in his home and was holding him at gunpoint waiting for us to arrive.”

As police came to arrest the naked burglar, another man took off running.

“Another guy in the area saw officers coming in and started running because he had multiple warrants,” said Lt. Ammott.

Police were able to track that man down as well. Both were taken to the Salt Lake County jail.

The following was originally published by fellow CNN affiliate KSTU. It is used here with permission.

Police ask for help in finding armed man wanted in connection to robbery

$
0
0

POCATELLO — Police are asking the public for help in finding an armed man wanted in connection to a March robbery.

Sean McKinney is a suspect in a residential robbery that occurred in Pocatello on March 31 and is wanted in an unrelated incident where he was in possession of a firearm as a convicted felon on March 30. McKinney was reported to be armed with a knife during the robbery.

There are two related suspects to both of these incidents that have already been arrested, according to a news release from the Pocatello Police Department.

Officers ask the public not to approach or attempt contact with McKinney. He is 5 foot 8 inches weighing 190 pounds with hazel eyes. He has a “208” tattoo on his left hand, tattoos on his chest and a tattoo of his last name on his back.

Anyone with information on McKinney’s whereabouts is asked to contact Det. Sampson or Sgt. Diekemper with the Pocatello Police Department, or the U.S. Marshals Office at (208) 317-2904.

Man arrested on multiple charges following domestic disturbance call

$
0
0

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

IDAHO FALLS — At 9:55 a.m. on Tuesday, Idaho Falls police responded to a domestic disturbance call on the 2000 block of Monticello Drive.

Police were informed that 43-year-old Erik Bastar of Idaho Falls left the residence in a truck. Officers successfully stopped the truck near the intersection of Northgate Mile & Lee Street.

Upon searching the vehicle, and with the help of a Bonneville County Sheriff’s Deputy K9 unit, police recovered a significant amount of methamphetamine as well as marijuana and paraphernalia in the truck.

Two local schools’ officials opted to lock their outside doors as a precaution. Both schools kept the outside doors locked for approximately 30 minutes before they returned to normal operations. Police confirmed there were related no incidents regarding either school.

Bastar was arrested on 5 charges:

· 18-7001 (M) Malicious Injury to Property
· 18-918(3)(b) – (M) Battery – Domestic Violence without traumatic injury against a household member
· 37-2732(c)(3) – (M) Controlled Substance – Possession (Marijuana)
· 37-2732(a)(1)(B) – (F) Controlled Substance – Possession (Methamphetamine)
· 37-2734A(1) – (M) Drug Paraphernalia – Use or Possess with intent to use

He is scheduled to appear in court later this week.

Vandals go to extreme lengths to access tunnels under Teton Dam

$
0
0
Courtesy photo

NEWDALE — Graffiti, littering and damaged signs have always been a problem at the old site of the Teton Dam, but now things are getting worse.

The dam burst and has been inoperative since June 5, 1976, but many of the outbuildings, dam structures and tunnels are still intact. Over the years, the Bureau of Reclamation has sealed off many of the areas at the dam site due to serious and potentially deadly safety concerns. Now some of these areas are being unsealed by vandals, and even promoted by some as “tourist attractions.”

RELATED: Sitting on the Teton Dam as catastrophe struck

“What’s most concerning is that some of the barriers we’ve put in places at areas are being removed,” Bureau Upper Snake Field Office spokesman Ryan Newman said.

And these aren’t simple barriers. Large steel bars and grates are being cut open with tools. One of the most extreme examples is a 24-inch barrier of reinforced concrete someone chiseled through to get to the other side.

“People have gone to great expense to gain access to these areas, and those people are putting themselves in serious danger,” Newman said.

Partially concealed drops are a serious issue at the dam site. A 3,500-pound steel grate was recently removed. This exposed a hole that was 200 feet deep. Another grate was removed from a concrete intake funnel at what used to be the bottom of the reservoir. At the bottom of the 80-foot funnel is cold water — and there is no way to climb out of the funnel if you fall in.

Ventilation and air quality are also serious issues, Newman tells EastIdahoNews.com. Many of the tunnels are isolated, confined areas without any air flow. Pockets of gases have settled in some tunnels, and vandals spray painting makes the air quality even worse.

BOR employees are working to create new ways to keep people out of the area, but in the interim, they want to remind the public the Teton Dam site is closed to public entry and that it is dangerous.

Anyone found trespassing or vandalizing the Teton Dam site could be fined or arrested.

More details released on shooting, hit-and-run incidents

$
0
0
Tanisha Hill | Bonneville County Jail

IDAHO FALLS — The Idaho Falls woman suspected of shooting at a local man and being involved in a hit-and-run crash Saturday is now in jail on $100,000 bond.

Tanisha Chevette Hill appeared in court Monday to be arraigned on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without the intent to kill.

Court documents show the incident began at an apartment on Paul Street around 11:15 p.m. Saturday. Police were called after receiving multiple reports of gunshots in the area.

When officers arrived they located the victim, an uninjured man, who had a previous relationship with Hill. The man was standing next to his truck, which had several fresh bullet holes in the driver’s side.

The victim told police he had gotten into an argument with Hill. He then loaded some personal items from the apartment into his truck and was preparing to leave when he heard what he thought were fireworks.

The man left his truck and saw Hill standing nearby with a gun in her hand. She verbally threatened him and then sped off in a tan Acura, nearly hitting a passerby, according to court documents. Two witnesses confirmed the victim’s statements to police. Witnesses also told police Hill was likely with her 4-year-old child in the vehicle.

During that investigation, Idaho Falls Police dispatchers received multiple calls about a hit-and-run crash at the corner of Gallup Street and Woodruff Avenue. The vehicle, which was described as looking similar to a tan Acura, destroyed a fence, shed and stop sign in front of a home on the corner. Idaho Falls Police say Hill is a suspect in the crash.

Bonneville County Deputy Prosecutor John Dewey told EastIdahoNews.com on Wednesday that the crash is still under investigation and that the case has not yet been brought to the prosecuting attorney’s office.

An officer tried to call Hill’s phone, but she didn’t answer. Officers heard from a neighbor that Hill’s vehicle was back at her home on Alan Street, and it had significant damage. Police obtained a search warrant, but did not find Hill, her child or a firearm in the home. They did find an empty gun case and ammunition.

On Sunday, Bonneville County dispatch received a call that Hill had returned to her home and wanted to turn herself in.

When officers arrived they took Hill into custody. According to documents, Hill told officers that she knew she “screwed up” for shooting the victim’s truck.

Hill’s child was taken in by a friend of the family.

Bill Cosby guilty on all three counts in indecent assault trial

$
0
0

(CNN) — The jury in Bill Cosby’s indecent assault trial found the comedian guilty Thursday of all three counts.

Cosby was convicted on three counts of aggravated indecent assault for drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand in a Philadelphia suburb in 2004. The 80-year-old former comedian faces up to 10 years in prison on each count, but would likely serve them concurrently.

The panel began deliberating Wednesday around 11 a.m., and worked for more than 14 hours over two days to reach the verdict.

The case against Cosby centered on testimony from Constand, a former employee with Temple University women’s basketball team. She testified that Cosby, a powerful trustee at Temple, drugged her and sexually assaulted her when she visited his home to ask for career advice.

Cosby’s defense team argued that their interaction was consensual. Constand is a con artist, they argued, who wanted a piece of Cosby’s fortune.

The case is the first celebrity sexual assault trial since the #MeToo movement began last fall, and as such, it represents a test of how the cultural movement will translate into a courtroom arena. In closing arguments, defense attorney Kathleen Bliss positioned Cosby’s legal team as standing up against “witch hunts, lynchings (and) McCarthyism.”

Although dozens of women have accused Cosby of sexual misconduct, only Constand’s allegations resulted in criminal charges.


Family says they want no deal for suspect who allegedly killed, threw couple into mine shaft

$
0
0
Jerrod Baum appears for a hearing in Provo on Thursday, April 26, 2018. Baum is accused of killing 18-year-old Riley Powell and 17-year-old Brelynne “Breezy” Otteson in December and dumping their bodies into an abandoned mine shaft. (Photo: Rick Egan)

PROVO, Utah (KSL) — The man accused of brutally killing a Eureka couple and then throwing their bodies into an abandoned mine shaft was back in court on Thursday.

The hearing for Jerrod William Baum, 41, was brief as attorneys agreed to continue it until August.

Baum is accused of beating and stabbing Riley Powell, 18, and then slitting the throat of Brelynne “Breezy” Otteson, 17, while both were tied up. He is charged in 4th District Court with two counts of aggravated murder and two counts of aggravated kidnapping, first-degree felonies; two counts of abuse or desecration of a dead body plus possession of a weapon by a restricted person, third-degree felonies; and obstruction of justice, a second-degree felony.

Because this is a potential death penalty case, deputy Utah County attorney Chad Grunander said Thursday it will be a long process before the case is resolved.

“In reality, these kinds of cases will take some time. Several months if not up to a couple of years,” he said.

The Utah County Attorney’s Office has not announced yet whether it intends to formally seek the death penalty. Grunander said his office will take several factors into consideration when making that determination, including the strength of the evidence, input from the victims’ families, the defendant’s criminal history and the heinousness of the crime.

After the brief hearing was over, family members of Powell and Otteson said they are still completely in favor of capital punishment for Baum and there is no thought of resolving the case with a plea deal.

“I wouldn’t even think about that. There’s no reason to do a plea bargain. He didn’t do a plea bargain with the kids,” said Riley Powell’s father, Bill Powell.

“There’s no settling for this. The kids need justice,” concurred Amanda Hunt, Otteson’s aunt.

The families stressed they do not want a plea deal, even if it meant avoiding a long legal battle.

“Looks like it’s going to be a long dragged out process. I just assume it be done with and over quick and find him guilty and done away with him,” Bill Powell said.

Neither family memeber had previously met Baum. Family members say they don’t understand why the killings took place.

“I just don’t understand what he was thinking or what the whole deal was over,” Powell said.

“I get the chills. I shake, It’s disgusting,” said Nikka Powell, Riley Powell’s sister, about having to see Baum in court. “I don’t see how anybody could be so sick. It’s ridiculous. I don’t understand it.”

This Saturday would have been Riley’s 19th birthday. Family members plan to hold a celebration in Eureka with hot dogs, kickball, and the release of paper lanterns at night. Hunt said she wants the public to remember who Powell and Otteson were, and not just what happened to them.

Baum’s next hearing is scheduled for Aug. 1.

His girlfriend, Morgan Lewis Henderson, 34, who was allegedly present when the young couple was killed but didn’t tell police about it for three months, is charged with obstruction of justice in one case and drug-related charges in another. She is scheduled to make court appearances on May 3 and May 9 for each case.

This article was originally published by KSL.com. It is used here with permission.

Man arrested after police find more than 200 pounds of pot during traffic stop

$
0
0
Dakota Thorstenson | Canyon County Jail

CALDWELL — A Minnesota man is behind bars after being arrested for allegedly trafficking over 200 pounds of marijuana in Idaho.

Dakota Thorstenson, 23, was stopped for a driving infraction on I-84 near exit 30 around 12 p.m. Wednesday, according to a news release from Idaho State Police. During the stop, troopers seized 226 pounds of marijuana.

The Caldwell Police Department Street Crimes unit assisted in the investigation and Thorstenson was arrested and booked into the Canyon County Jail on drug trafficking charges.

In 2017, Idaho State Police troopers report seizing over 1,400 pounds of marijuana statewide. That’s more than the total seized in the previous three years combined.

Rexburg police investigating ‘gross’ case of tampered frozen vegetables

$
0
0
Stock image

REXBURG — Police are investigating a report of harassment involving “adulterated frozen vegetables” discovered at a Brigham Young University-Idaho student apartment building.

Officers were called to The Ivy Apartments on South 2nd West around 11:40 a.m. Thursday after a student found a package of vegetables that had been tampered with.

“He opened the fridge and discovered poop and pubic hairs on (a bag of) vegetables,” Rexburg Police Capt. Randy Lewis tells EastIdahoNews.com. “It’s pretty gross. He and his roommates were all new students in the apartment and they didn’t know who did this.”

Police say the apartment had been left unlocked and someone may have entered the apartment illegally to commit the foul act.

“This is the only report we had and we’re looking into it,” Lewis says. “People need to remember to lock their doors.”

Sheriff: Man pretended to be cop as he zip-tied 4 adults, tried to abduct woman

$
0
0
Stock image

OWYHEE COUNTY — Authorities are searching for a man who pretended to a law enforcement officer before zip-tying four adults and attempting to kidnap one of them Thursday night.

The incident occurred around 11:30 p.m. at Jump Creek Falls in Owyhee County.

The four adults, ranging in age from 18-20, say they were approached by a white man who appeared to be around 30 years old, according to a news release from the Owyhee County Sheriff’s Office. He identified himself as a police officer and had a badge on a chain around his neck, although he was not dressed in a uniform.

Deputies say the adults were zip-tied behind their backs and held against their will. At one point, the suspect took a female victim to her own vehicle where she was able to break free of the restraints and run back to her friends.

The suspect fled the area in a newer model, light colored Chevrolet four door sedan. He is described as 5’6″ to 5’9″ with a stocky build.

Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call the Owyhee County Sheriff’s Office at (208) 495-1154.

Four hour standoff ends with man in custody

$
0
0

POCATELLO — A situation at an apartment complex at 1901 South 4th Avenue reached a peaceful resolution just before midnight.

A man wanted on several warrants by the Pocatello Police Department was seen in the area just before 8 p.m. When confronted, police say he barricaded himself with two other people in apartment No. 13.

After several hours of unsuccessful negotiations, KPVI reports officers entered the unit to arrest the perpetrator. His name has not been released.

One woman was struck by the door when it was breached but was cleared by the paramedics.

Police want to thank neighbors for avoiding the situation.

Additional details are expected to be released Sunday.

Viewing all 9143 articles
Browse latest View live


<script src="https://jsc.adskeeper.com/r/s/rssing.com.1596347.js" async> </script>