“I totally understand the outrage.” Mayor joins citizens’ frustration over inmate’s escape
ST. ANTHONY, Idaho (KIFI) - St. Anthony Mayor Donald Powell joins with city citizens' frustrated over Keven Kuintzle's escape.
Kuintzle escaped from the St. Anthony Work Center on Dec. 5, 2024. He was spotted in Idaho Falls on Dec. 6 and captured that evening in Pocatello.
Kuintzle is charged with first-degree murder out of Jerome County. He is accused of shooting and killing 84-year-old William Eakin while he was sleeping in bed on September 17, 2023.
"I totally understand the outrage. We at the city were outraged when it happened," said Powell. "I mean, we were wondering the same questions that citizens are asking. What the heck? How did that guy end up here? Why didn't we know sooner? You know. What's happening?"
Local News 8 reported on the meeting where the work camp warden told the mayor and police chief that Kuintzle's admission to the camp was a filing error.
The mayor was unsure if a computer or a person made this mistake.
During our meeting with the mayor, we learned that Kuintzle had been at this work camp before and cleared the program to rejoin society.
When and why Kuintzle was there the first time has not yet been released to us.
The Idaho Department of Corrections reported on Dec. 11 it had launched a Serious Incident Review. Public Information Officer Sanda Kuzet-Cerimagic said, "The system designed to prevent Kevin Kuintzle from being placed at a non-secure facility clearly were not followed."
The mayor said that if the camp had run a National Crime Information Center (NCIC) check on Kuintzle, they would have found his current records. Powell tells us the work camp will run those checks from here on out.
"I feel a lot more comfortable now that I've talked with Warden Armstrong. I think that they are making changes that need to be made, and we'll see what the investigation shows. You know, he's made some immediate changes that I think are more important that will kind of stop this from happening. And then we'll see what the state investigation shows," said Powell.
Local News 8 is continuing to investigate this story.
