No charges filed in police chase

No criminal charges will be filed against the police officers involved in the high-speed chase that left one man dead at a Pocatello mobile home park back in October.

Both Idaho State Police and the Bannock County Prosecutor Stephen Herzog investigated the case, reviewing every bit of footage and reports to make sure officers conducted themselves lawfully while in pursuit.

“After I looked over everything, it is my conclusion that the police officers involved in that pursuit acted in a manner that was consistent with the law,” Herzog said.

On October 4, a routine traffic stop caused Bryan Seward to shoot at an officer before leading police on a high-speed chase throughout Pocatello.

Seward then shot himself before crashing his car into a mobile home unit on Wilson Ave., and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Later toxicology reports indicate Seward had methamphetamine in his system at that time.

Herzog said the police did not break any criminal laws during the chase.

“At one time, one officer drove the wrong way down a one-way street, but you look at why they did that, and the law excuses certain conduct if that conduct is necessary,” Herzog added. “Clearly, if you’re pursuing someone who has already been firing shots, you’re dealing with a dangerous person so you need to detain them. And after looking at everything, I’ve concluded the officers acted in the bounds of criminal law.”

Herzog said when dealing with a death related to a pursuit involving law enforcement officers, protocol calls for a third-party source to investigate the case and another party to then review that as well.

“We have outstanding law enforcement agencies in Bannock County and the more I see, the more impressed I am at their professionalism and restraint. They showed a lot of restraint. People should be very comfortable knowing that we have Bannock County, Chubbuck, ISP and PPD out there looking out for us.”