Ammon man arrested for aggravated battery

AMMON, Idaho (KIFI) - Bonneville County Sheriffs deputies assigned to the Ammon Division responded to a disturbance overnight in the 1000 S. block of Curlew Dr. involving an adult male resident and three juveniles. 

The resident, 46 year old Devin W. Miner, called dispatch and advised three subjects were armed and breaking into the residence. 

Dispatch could hear Miner yelling at the subjects, telling them, “Don’t move or I will cut you.” 

Dispatch continued to try and get information from Miner who was providing pieces of information and hanging up on dispatch. 

As deputies responded to the area,  a second caller reported hearing screaming near the residence and subjects running toward Walmart and CAL Ranch. 

Arriving deputies located an injured 15-year-old male in the street who had a severe knife wound to the leg and bleeding profusely. Deputies applied a tourniquet and life saving measures until paramedics with Idaho Falls Fire arrived and transported the juvenile to the hospital. 

During this time, deputies and Idaho Falls Police officers set a perimeter around the area and located three more juveniles, two males 16 and 17, and a 14 year old female, all who were runaways. 

Deputies discovered the juveniles were associated with a stolen vehicle out of Madison County found abandoned near Walmart. 

After interviewing the juveniles and Miner, deputies were told the juveniles entered the backyard of Miner’s residence, claiming to be running from someone who threatened them at Walmart. While in the backyard, Miner confronted the juveniles telling them he was contacting the police  It was then the juveniles began to run away and dispatch could hear Miner yelling at them to stop. The injured juvenile told deputies Miner cut the back of his leg with a knife while he was trying to climb over the fence and run away. 

Initially Miner told deputies the juvenile injured his leg on the fence and he thought they were trying to break into his garage, but admitted he was aware the door was blocked on the other side and not passable. 

Deputies could not find any evidence indicating the juveniles were armed or had tried to enter the residence and could see blood on Miner. 

After causing injury to the juvenile, Miner told deputies he hid the knife in a toolbox in back of his vehicle to get away from it, but did not have an explanation as to why he chose to use the knife. 

Miner admitted to deputies that given the totality of the circumstances with the juveniles not displaying weapons or attempting to actually enter his residence, it was not a good decision to take aggressive action with the knife as they fled since he was not in defense of his person.

Miner was placed under arrest for aggravated battery and transported to the Bonneville County Jail. 

No other injuries were reported in the incident, and deputies are continuing to investigate. 

Potential charges for the four juveniles involved in this incident and their ties to the stolen vehicle are pending. 

The injured 15-year-old male is still being treated at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center for a severe wound to the leg.