Witness Alerts Police To Inmate Escape

Idaho Falls police captured an Idaho Department of Corrections inmate early Wednesday morning after a witness saw him escape from the work penitentiary on Bombardier Avenue.

William Robert Stirm, 35, was arrested on charges of felony escape. His girlfriend, Sarah C. Johnson, was also arrested and charged with rescuing a prisoner.

According to the police report, police contacted a man at the Common Cents at the intersection of Broadway and Hansen around 11:15 p.m. The man reported he spotted an inmate, later identified as Stirm, jump the fence at the IDOC work penitentiary and get into a grey 2002 Ford Focus, which is owned by Johnson.

The man said he followed the vehicle to an apartment in the 400 block of Hansen.

Officers confirmed that Stirm escaped and responded to the apartment where they found he and his girlfriend. Stirm, who initially acted uncooperative, was handcuffed and taken to Bonneville County Jail, police said.