What we know from the Idaho Manhunt which ended in Filer after an intense 36 hours
IDAHO (KIFI)-The nationwide manhunt, which gripped the Gem State, concluded with the arrests of Skyler Meade, Nicholas Umphenour, and Tonia Huber, after an intense 36 hours.
It all began early Wednesday morning when Meade was taken to the St. Alphonsus Hospital in Boise to receive treatment for apparent self-injurious behavior around 2 a.m.
As officers were preparing to take made back to prison, a shooter now believed to be Umphenour shot at two of the corrections officers injuring both.
A third officer was injured as a Boise officer responding to the call of an active shooting fired, until he realized that he fired upon a fellow officer all Officers are expected to recover.
This led to Idaho's first-ever Blue Emergency Alert sent across the state.
After they left the Treasure Valley, the suspects drove north where they may have interacted with James L. Mauney, 83 of Juliaetta, who was found dead near Leland in Latah County. Mauney was reported missing Wednesday when he didn't return from taking his dogs on a walk.
Gerald Don Henderson of Orofino was also found dead outside of his remote cabin. Mauney's dogs and a pair of shackles believed to be Meades were also found.
Meade and Umphenour may have taken the 4-hour and 15-minute drive from Latah County to Missoula, Montana.
Everything changed Thursday Afternoon when the pair was discovered in Filer around 2:00 p.m.
Local News 8 was the only Eastern Idaho news source in Filer Friday. The home the suspects were located in is just blocks away from the Twin Falls County fairgrounds.
We learned people at the fairgrounds were shocked by the news.
"I don't think we realized the threat until then because that was kind of after the fact of they got caught. There have been two homicides, and I know one of our crew that was out there by herself for a while that was like, Oh, that would be nice to know ahead of time, because she was like, well, they were on the fairgrounds and cause I heard that was a close call. They were here, left the fairgrounds, kind of drove in and out, and then the police chase was on," said Lidya Buffington a member of the fair board.
The Idaho State Police says the success in the capture of the escapees is thanks to many of the tips from the public and all of the help they received from multiple agencies.
Huber is charged with harboring a fugitive, eluding police, and drug possession, as she tried to police by leading them through a high-speed chase Thursday afternoon. All three were in court Friday and Local News 8 was in the courtroom.
Meade and Umphenour are expected to face their charges in Ada County. They have yet to be charged with any of the murders they may be connected to, while Huber will have a preliminary hearing on April 14th.
Meade and Umphenour are members of the gang Aryan Knights. It is unclear if this is a gang-backed event. It is still unclear just how Meade coordinated this escape while still in prison.
The connection between the home on 200 North block in Filer and Tonia Huber is still unknown at this time.