Lawyer: Evidence withheld in Tapp case

The lawyer for a man convicted for raping and murdering an Idaho Falls woman said police withheld crucial evidence during the investigation.

In court Wednesday, a judge ruled in favor of public defender John Thomas, who represented Christopher Tapp. Tapp was convicted in Angie Dodge’s death in 1997.

Thomas got approval to depose, or ask questions of, detectives Ken Brown and Phil Grimes, who worked on the case in 1996.

However, Thomas will only be able to ask questions pertaining to Jeff Smith, a man listed in police reports as a possible suspect.

“Are there unanswered questions in the investigation? Absolutely. Was the investigation done perfectly back in 1996/1997? No,” said prosecutor Bruce Pickett.

A date for the deposition has not been scheduled yet.