Car crashes into store after high-speed chase
UPDATE: BLACKFOOT, Idaho (KIFI)—A high-speed chase ended with a car crashing into the White Eagle convenience store in Blackfoot.
According to the Bingham County Sheriff's Office Facebook page, 39-year-old Adam Gregory Rapolla of Pocatello is in custody for his role in the incident.
The Sheriff's office said they found various items of drug paraphernalia in the car. They reported finding 2.94 grams of meth, 16.07 grams of marijuana, a pill believed to be oxycodone and two unknown blue pills.
Rapolla is being charged with eluding, possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, possession of marijuana, possession of paraphernalia, and resisting and obstructing.
According to the store owner, Kim Gough, no one was in the store when the car crashed through the store. Gough was told that Rapolla was estimated to hit speeds of over 80 mph and hit a power cable before he hit the store, cutting power to some homes.
"I thought it was a false alarm, 'cause it's always a false alarm," Gough said. "Normally it's someone who just tried to open the door, so we were definitely not expecting a car to be inside of our building."
Gough also expressed her gratitude to the community for their support during this trying time.
"Kelley Cushman saw it on Facebook and he came over and stayed to help put up plywood until 1 or 2 in the morning," Gough said. "Blackfoot just has a lot of good people."
The White Eagle is still open. No word on how much the damages will cost at this time.
Original Post:
According to the Bingham County Sheriff's Office Facebook page, at approximately 10:06 PM Deputies made a traffic stop on a White Camaro in the area of Maverick in Blackfoot. Contact was made with the male driver and vehicle's sole occupant on the traffic stop. While conducting the traffic stop, Deputies advised the driver that they could smell the strong odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle.
The driver then fled the area at a high rate of speed. As Deputies attempted to catch back up to the vehicle, it crossed the railroad tracks at Judicial and NW Main St, lost control, and crashed into the White Eagle convenience store. The driver was located immediately after the accident attempting to flee on foot. He was taken into custody and has been transported to the jail pending the conclusion of an investigation at the scene.
The Sheriff's Office will release the sum of the charges and the suspect’s information later today, if possible.
Several 5-gallon bottles of propane were struck during the crash. There was no explosion, but Blackfoot Fire and Idaho Power were asked to respond and assist. Multiple people in the area reported a loss of their residential power.
