POCATELLO — A Fort Hall man is behind bars and charged with forced sex penetration with a foreign object while victim is unconscious or asleep.

Michael Ray Pine, 37, was also charged with two outstanding warrants for probation violation.

Diane Brush with the Pocatello Police Department said the new charges stem from an incident that occurred on Oct. 16.

When police located Pine, they learned that warrants for his arrest had been issued.

Pine was arrested at Ballard and Hiline Road. His past criminal history includes battery, trespassing, grand theft, misdemeanor and felony driving under the influence, contempt of court and drug possession.

Pine is set to appear in front of Magistrate Scott Axline on Nov. 3, at 2:30 p.m. and is being held in the Bannock County Jail.

BY DEBBIE BRYCE
For the Journal

FORT HALL — Police Chief Pat Teton said that clothing items located during a search Saturday will be examined to determine if they are connected to a shooting in Fort Hall last month.

Teton said about 80 people turned out to help search for the body of presumed murder victim Darrell Auck.

The search concentrated on the Ross Fork area and Lodge Pine and Narrows roads east of Fort Hall. Teton said the search was based on tips in the case.

Last month, Teton said that officers received an anonymous tip that Auck, 44, had been shot and killed by Anthony Ish, 32, at a residence on East Agency Road on or about Oct. 15, and evidence at the scene indicated that someone had been injured.

Ish was charged with assault with a deadly weapon and was arrested at the residence on East Agency Road. He is currently incarcerated at the Fort Hall Correction center.

Last week, the Fort Hall Business Council announced that a $5,000 reward would be paid for information leading to the recovery of Auck’s body and the Fort Hall Police issued a missing persons poster.

Teton said that a team of cadaver dogs will search the Fort Hall river bottoms next week, but at this time, no additional search is planned.

“We did this search based on a tip, if we get some fresh tips, we’ll re-organize, look for volunteers and go back out again,” Teton said.

Along with the Fort Hall Police Department, the search incorporated several tribal agencies including, Fish and Game, Tribal Corrections, Department of Public Safety and Fire Department and EMS.

Anyone with information about the case is urged to contact the Fort Hall Police at 238-4000, 478-4000 and tips can be texted anonymously to TIP411 (FHPD at start of message).

It was the second killing in Fort Hall in less than as many months — 23-year-old Joey Running Horse died after being stabbed at the intersection of Hawthorne and Edmo roads, just south of the Fort Hall town site Aug. 29.

Both murders are being investigated by Fort Hall Police and the FBI.

An 85-year-old Pocatello man died and two other Pocatellans were hurt in a onevehicle rollover Saturday afternoon on Interstate 15 near Fort Hall, according to a press release from Idaho State Police.

Gernnard Parsons died at the scene. Andrew Newman, 65, was taken by air ambulance to the Portneuf Medical Center in Pocatello. And Darinda Newman, 62, was taken by ground ambulance to PMC, according to state police, who investigated the accident starting at 3:38 p.m.

The crash happened when Newman was driving a 2000 Chevy Tahoe south on I-15. Then the vehicle left the road, traveled through the median and across the northbound lanes. The vehicle then rolled and came to rest on the frontage road.

All three occupants of the vehicle wore their seat belts. The accident is still under investigation.

Photo courtesy of Miccosukee Tribal Affairs office.

By Journal Staff

Leaders from more than a dozen Indian nations and tribes across the U.S. met this month to discuss concerns about the implementation of the Tribal General Welfare Exclusion (GWE) Act, which was enacted by Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama in September, according to a news release.

“The GWE Act protects from income taxation the benefits that Indian tribal governments provide to their citizens, creates a Tribal Advisory Committee to advise the Treasury Department on tax issues, and suspends all audits of tribal governments pending the training of IRS agents on issues of Indian treaty rights and tribal sovereignty,” according to the news release.

Although they support the new act, tribal leaders are concerned about the Tribal Advisory Committee, which they say is being developed without input from tribal leaders and might not even include them when it comes to the appointees.

“Tribal leaders have expressed concerns that the Treasury Department and IRS are seeking to undermine the purposes of the GWE Act through the administrative process,” according to the news release.

“The Congress enacted the GWE Act to protect Indian people from continued harassment by the IRS,” Colley Billie, chairman of the Miccosukee Tribe, said in the news release. “For years we have had to deal with IRS auditing threats simply because we provide benefits to improve the quality of life of our people.”

In the news release, Nathan Small, chairman of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes, expressed appreciation for those representatives and senators who worked to enact the GWE Act and who recently sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Jacob Lew urging him to implement the law as it was intended.

“We are hopeful that (the) Treasury will work with us as partners, not adversaries, on this critical matter,” Small said in the news release.

Tribal leaders plan to meet in Washington D.C. next month to continue discussions about their concerns, according to the news release.

FORT HALL — “Sundays in December” is a program for families to watch movies together at the Shoshone-Bannock Hotel and Events Center in Fort Hall during the holidays.

Sunday offers “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas” and “A Christmas Story” with doors opening at noon. The films begin at 1 p.m. with a brief break in between.

Dec. 14 will be “The Polar Express” and “Elf.” Doors open at noon, and the films are shown at 1 p.m. Santa will be available in the lobby from noon to 2 p.m.

Families are encouraged to watch the films together, unattended children are not allowed. The movies are shown in the Chief Events Center, and concessions are available.

FORT HALL — Firefighters battled a large haystack fire near Sage Hill Travel Center and Casino south of Blackfoot Christmas Eve. The fire was brought under control, but Fort Hall Fire Chief Brian Briggs said the hay could smolder for more than a day unless wet weather arrives.

The fire was reported about 1 a.m. Fire trucks from the Fort Hall Fire Department and Blackfoot Fire Department responded. Assisting with breaking the large bails apart was the Fort Hall Transportation Department.

“There were no injuries, just a lot of smoke,” Briggs said.

BY JOURNAL STAFF

Two people were arrested Thursday night after a high-speed chase in northern Bannock County that involved law enforcement officers from multiple agencies.

The chase started about 9:30 p.m. when Idaho State Police stopped a 2005 Cadillac Escalade on U.S. Highway 91 at Tyhee Road in Bannock County for failure to dim the headlights, according to a state police news release.

But the passenger in the vehicle, Levi J. Timbana, 33, of Fort Hall, took control of it from the driver, Miqueline J. Blacksmith, 27, of Blackfoot, and fled from the scene, state police report.

Troopers pursued Timbana. Several other law enforcement units eventually joined in as the suspects’ vehicle headed west on Tyhee Road and then north on Hawthorne Road.

A pursuit immobilization technique was ultimately used to stop the vehicle.

The PIT maneuver involves an officer pushing the nose of a squad car on a rear side of the fleeing vehicle to spin it and stop it.

The pursuit ended at Hawthorne Road just north of Edmo Road.

At first the two individuals refused to leave their car. But after the Bannock County Sheriff’s Department informed them a canine unit was en route to the scene the suspects surrendered.

Officers then arrested both Timbana and Blacksmith.

Timbana was charged with felony DUI, false information to a police officer, eluding and driving without privileges. Timbana also had a felony warrant.

Blacksmith was charged with failure to purchase a driver’s license. Blacksmith also had a misdemeanor warrant. Both Timbana and Blacksmith were booked into the Bannock County Jail.

Idaho State Police were helped by the Bannock County Sheriff’s Office, Pocatello Police Department and Fort Hall Police Department.

SUBMITTED PHOTO
Miss Indian World Taylor Thomas at President Barack Obama’s speech in Boise.

BY JOURNAL STAFF

Miss Indian World and 2014 Fort Hall Shoshone-Bannock Queen Taylor Thomas had an opportunity to meet President Barack Obama in person when she was invited backstage after his speech to the crowd in Boise.

“The President walked through the doors and smiled big at me,” Thomas wrote on her Facebook page Wednesday. “He took a picture with one other girl, and I was next. I shook his hand and said ‘Hello Mr. President. My name is Taylor Thomas.’ He asked what tribe I was and I told him ‘My mother is Shoshone-Bannock and my father is Kickpaoo and Potowatomi.”

During their conversation, Obama also inquired about her family.

“I told him we call you my grandma’s president and we all voted for you. He smiled and said, ‘Tell grandma thank you!’ I got a little teary-eyed because my late grandmother would pray for him and she is now passed on,” Thomas wrote.

Thomas is a political science major at Idaho State University.

In her Facebook post, she said it was an honor to have her photo taken with the president.

“Miss Indian World is a blessing that I am completely thankful for,” she posted.

POCATELLO — A man who police say caused a three-vehicle wreck on Friday night has been charged with driving under the infiuence and injury to a child while DUI

Derrick Willie Jim, 23, of Fort Hall, is currently being held at the Bannock County Jail and will be arraigned on Tuesday.

The crashed occurred at approximately 8 p.m. in the southbound lanes of Yellowstone Avenue just north of the Maple Street intersection. Pocatello police said Jim rear-ended two vehicles that were waiting at the intersection’s trafflc light.

Jim’s vehicle then rolled onto its roof, and he fled on foot, leaving behind a woman and a baby girl in the car. Police caught Jim shortly after the crash.

Jim, as well as the woman and the baby, were transported to Portneuf Medical Center to be treated for nonlife-threatening injuries. After Jim was treated, he was taken into police custody.

The names of the woman and the baby have not been released and their condition is currently unknown. No one in the other vehicles was injured.

Police have not released the names of anybody else involved in the wreck.

Police said Jim also had an outstanding warrant for a probation violation, stemming from an undisclosed crime committed in 2010.

FORT HALL — Bingham County Republicans annual Lincoln Day celebration is Feb. 21 at noon at the Shoshone-Bannock Hotel and Events Center in Fort Hall.

Featured at the luncheon will be keynote speaker U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo, with speeches by Lt. Gov. Brad Little, Idaho State Republican Chairman and foreign policy consultant Steve Yates and Idaho House Speaker Scott Bedke. Other state and local Republican officials also will be on hand. A patriotic musical program will be presented by Carol Robertson, plus live and silent auctions for political memorabilia will be held.

Seating is limited and RSVP is needed by Feb. 18. Payment can be made at the door. To RSVP, call Dan Cravens at 380-3075.

By Kendra Evensen
kevensen@journalnet.com

FORT HALL — A 78-year-old Fort Hall man died in a house fire on Friday night.

Fort Hall Fire Chief Brian Briggs said Monday they were still investigating the fire, which led to the death of Wayne George, but nothing appeared to be suspicious. They believe the fire started in the garage area, but haven’t been able to pinpoint the exact cause.

Briggs said someone in a vehicle traveling on Interstate 15 spotted the fire on North Bannock Road and notified emergency officials around 11 p.m.

By the time firefighters arrived on scene, about three-quarters of the house was already involved in the fire, Briggs said.

“The winds pushed it through the house pretty quickly,” he said, adding that there were sustained winds of about 15 miles per hour that night.

George died at the scene of the fire, Briggs said, and the home, which he occupied alone, was a total loss. No other homes in the area were threatened.

Firefighters stayed on scene for roughly 15 hours as they worked to put out the flames, perform some cleanup and begin their investigation, Briggs said, adding that firefighters from Blackfoot, Shelley and Chubbuck assisted.

Due to the extensive damage to the home, Briggs didn’t know if there were any fire alarms at the residence. But he encouraged homeowners to make sure they have such equipment in place following Friday’s tragedy.

“The big things to remember are to make sure they have smoke detectors and carbon monoxide (detectors),” he said, adding that they also need to ensure the equipment is working properly and that they replace the batteries at least every six months.

BY JOURNAL STAFF

The Shoshone-Bannock Tribes issued a warning Saturday evening regarding what they called “a health concern” about radioactive material being carried by high winds from the former FMC plant site near Pocatello.

But no one seemed to be taking the tribes seriously. As of 10:30 p.m. Saturday, no official air quality alerts for Southeast Idaho had been issued by any local, county or state government agencies.

The tribes directed their radiation warning at the residents of Pocatello, American Falls, Blackfoot and Fort Hall, stating that Saturday’s high winds were causing radioactive material at the FMC site to be blown “throughout the valley.”

The tribes said in a 6 p.m. Saturday press release: “The FMC site stores tens of thousands of tons of toxic industrial waste–primarily poisonous and reactive elemental phosphorus–in the ground and in capped ponds on reservation land. It is clear FMC cannot control the dust with these high winds, whereas the tribes advise the public to take caution for those residents living within 50 to 100 miles radius of the site.”

The Journal could not reach local FMC official Paul Yochum for comment Saturday night about the tribes’ radiation claims.

The Journal did reach officials with Southeast Idaho Public Health and the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality, but they said they did not know about the tribes’ claims. As of 10:30 p.m. Saturday neither Southeast Idaho Public Health nor the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality would make a comment.

The Pocatello Fire Department reported that it had received no official air quality warnings Saturday night and had no reason to believe there were air quality issues in the Pocatello area.

BY GREG EICHELBERGER
For the Journal

FORT HALL — The Shoshone-Bannock Hotel and Event Center was the scene of the annual Regional Readiness Rendezvous/ Spring Thing on Friday and Saturday. Southeastern Idaho Healthcare Coalition and Southeastern Idaho Public Health (SEIPH) hosted the event for area health care and emergency response personnel.

The event program included a simulated mass-casualty passenger bus accident, as well as speakers who have experience responding to such crashes in rural areas and training from the Center for Domestic Preparedness.

During this two-day affair, participants practiced how to expand medical care capacity, and track patients from an emergency incident through multiple points in the medical system.

This practice allowed people to find problems before a public health emergency occurs. These Public Health Preparedness Exercises assist in making the entire system stronger. SEIPH District 6 includes eight counties: Bannock, Power, Caribou, Franklin, Bear Lake, Oneida, Bingham and Butte.

“We usually hold a major training session in the spring each year and this conference went very well,” said Nick Scarborough, the All Hazards Manager in the Preparedness Department of SEIPH. “The simulation was very helpful and I think our personnel learned a lot about planning and organizing during an emergency. This is also the first time we have used speakers to enhance the education during the conference.”

The speakers, safety officer James Johnston, Jack Remillard and Steve Brost, described the Grand Teton Nation Park bus accident in 2014 and the Umatilla, Oregon crash in 2012, respectively. The first severely injured three and sent 27 to the hospital, while the latter cost nine people their lives, with 38 hurt. During the second session on April 11, Ann Potter of the FEMA All-Hazards unit spoke of disaster planning for health care partners.

“The simulated exercise was a functional training session in which emergency workers were challenged to transport casualties between different hospitals, track patient movement throughout the region, create additional bed space when the region reaches maximum capacity, and manage resources as a cohesive health care and response system,” Scarborough said. “And I think everyone performed very well. There are always things to improve on, but this group did fine under the circumstances.”

A box full of teddy bears, colored green, yellow and red, represented casualties — green for slight injuries, yellow for more serious wounds and red for severe trauma.

BY DEBBIE BRYCE
For the Journal

POCATELLO — A 24-year-old Fort Hall man will serve at least five years in prison for second-degree kidnapping.

Sixth District Judge David C. Nye acknowledged that alcohol played a factor in the incident, which occurred last summer, but said the case against Robert Cerino was centered in violence.

Nye imposed a prison sentence of five years fixed and five years indeterminate.

A no contact order in the case was extended for 10 years as well.

Cerino addressed the court and apologized to his two victims.

“I am not a bad person, I just made a terrible mistake,” Cerino said. “I’m pleading guilty because I want to accept responsibility.”

The charge stemmed from an incident on July 17, 2014, when Cerino and another individual talked a young Chubbuck couple into giving them a ride.

Cerino directed the Good Samaritans to a remote location on the Fort Hall reservation, where he threatened them with a baseball bat and assaulted one victim.

The victims managed to escape and run from the scene.

Bannock County Deputy Prosecutor Ryan Godfrey said their action might have saved their lives.

“I’m so glad these young people were proactive and knew that they were in danger,” Godfrey said. “I don’t know what (Cerino) had planned when they were done with them.”

Pocatello attorney John Souza represented Cerino and noted that the charge was his client’s first felony and he said Cerino was a candidate for probation.

Godfrey asked the court to impose a sentence of four years fixed and six indeterminate.

Five midget wrestlers were featured in Fort Hall on Friday night. View a photo gallery at idahostate journal.com.

BY DEBBIE BRYCE
For the Journal

FORT HALL — The poster declared that the Extreme Midget Wrestling Federation might be half the size, but they bring twice the violence to the ring.

The micro-wrestlers kept the crowd on their feet and roaring Friday at the Shoshone-Bannock Hotel and Events Center.

Announcer Skyler St. James said the federation does about 200 shows each year.

Friday’s event was officiated by former pro wrestler Pat Tanaka and featured five of the federation’s best athletes.

Following an opening prayer and special welcome by Miss Shoshone-Bannock Tadrochelle “Sister” Murray, the show opened with a matchup between Little Michael Mohawk and the Midget King.

Mohawk appeared perpetually angry while the King, the crowd favorite, was more laid back.

Their antics, both in and out of the ring demonstrated the strength, skill, agility and showmanship and affirmed that regardless of their size, the crew of the Midget Federation are accomplished athletes and dedicated entertainers.

Danny Campbell, billed as Little Nasty Boy, is originally from Alberta, Canada, and he’s been wrestling for 33 years.

“People want to see more violence and we give it to them,” Campbell said.

Campbell said he prefers the term midget to being tagged a “little person.”

“(Little person) is derogatory to me, I’m not a little person,” Campbell said. “I’m a midget, the term has been around forever.”

At 4-feet, 8-inches tall and 125 pounds, Campbell was a formidable opponent inside the ring.

During his match with Little Fabio on Friday, Campbell left the ring several times to confront wrestling fans who chanted, “USA, USA.”

Kamden Furniss and Kody Hite were among those fans who antagonized the pint-sized contender.

Kamden was celebrating his 9th birthday at the show and he and Kody, who’s also 9, didn’t back down when Campbell left the ring and headed their direction.

Little Fabio, aka Chris Blanton, took a virtual beating at the hands of Nasty Boy who smacked him in the head with a pan, bludgeoned him with a baseball bat, clobbered him with a “wet floor” sign and kicked him in the groin before tossing Blanton out of the ring.

Blanton, who stands 4-feet, 8-inches tall and weighs 135 pounds, said regardless of your size, pro-wrestling is physically demanding and requires a high level of fitness.

Originally from Rome, Georgia, Blanton said his daily workout includes 45 minutes of cardiovascular exercise as well as weight training. He recently returned to the ring following knee surgery.

He launched his career in professional wrestling six years ago and said it’s a dream come true.

“I wanted to do this since I was a kid, since the very first time I saw a match. I knew this is what I wanted to do,” Blanton said.

The Midget Wrestling Federation headed to Wendover, Nevada, following Friday’s show.

The event, which drew about 200 people, raised money to help build a new wellness center in Fort Hall.

Recreation Director Mike Sakelaris said the center will include two gymnasiums, a pool and a physical therapy facility.

Sakelaris said the location for the center has been approved and now the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes are in the process of raising money for the $30 million facility and all proceeds from Friday’s show went toward completion of the center.

The tribes are also looking at grants to help build the center. Sakelaris said $1.5 million has been raised toward construction of the facility.

Valedictorian Leticia Ahutzi

BY DEBBIE BRYCE
For the Journal

FORT HALL — Commencement ceremonies at the Shoshone Bannock Jr./ Sr. High School were a melding of hope and commitment for the future and respect for culture and tradition.

Local drum group Medicine Thunder performed an honor song as U.S. Marine Corps veterans Ernest Wahtomy and Sgt. Daniel Lamczyk posted the flag and the school’s 16 graduates made their way to their seats.

Three of the drum group’s members are past graduates of the Shoshone Bannock school. The graduates wore an eagle plume on their caps along with the school’s red, white and black tassel.

The ceremony depicted the class theme, “Go with the flow and ride with the tide.” For valedictorian Leticia Ahutzi, graduation was the first step. The 18-year-old plans to attend the University of Idaho this year, and she’s seeking a degree in criminal justice.

Ahutzi’s mother is Yevonna Capps of Fort Hall. Leticia told her classmates it had been a good year.

“During the past four years, we learned a lot, not just from the teachers, but from each other,” Leticia said.

Leticia said she’s known most of her classmates since kindergarten. She was active in volleyball, basketball and track at Shoshone Bannock school.

During the commencement ceremony, Superintendent Eric Lords recognized long-time teacher Kris Hansen who is retiring after more than two decades in education. Hansen was presented a Pendleton blanket for her service and dedication to the Shoshone Bannock Jr/Sr High School.

Salutatorian Jawana Graves bid an emotional farewell to her friends and faculty, and she thanked all of the people that helped her get there.

“Class of 2015, we did it,” Graves told the graduates.

Along with their diploma, each graduate received a Pendleton blanket, and the former students were honored at a reception in the Chief’s Cafeteria.

Nathan Small

BY JOURNAL STAFF

FORT HALL — The results for the Fort Hall Indian Reservation election held May 29 show that Fort Hall Business Council chairman Nathan Small lost his office and a majority of voters approved liquor sales at the planned new Fort Hall casino and the existing event center.

Fort Hall voters approved the sale of beer and wine at the Fort Hall Hotel and Event Center back in 2012 on a 251-151 vote. The latest vote clears the way for hard liquor sales at the hotel and event center, as well as a new $35.2 casino, which will be attached to that center. The existing nearby casino will become a bingo hall.

Small came in fifth when it

came to votes for the four open counsel seats with 314 votes. Small had been on the council for eight years and served as chairman since 2009.

Approximately 1,100 tribal voters participated in the elections for four council members, one candidate for the Land Use Policy Commission and the liquor issue.

New Fort Hall Business Council member Marcus Coby received the most votes with 547. Incumbent Darrell Dixey was in second place with 349 votes; incumbent Lee Juan Tyler, third, 346 votes; and new member Donna Bollinger, fourth with 338 votes.

Land Use Policy Commission incumbent Tony Galloway ran unopposed and was reconfirmed.

The term of office for the Fort Hall Business Council is two years and staggers between the seven-member council. This year, council incumbents included Chairman Small, council member Darrell Dixey and Vice Chairman Lee Juan Tyler.

Current Council treasurer Tino Batt chose not to renew his term this year which opened an additional seat on the council.

The official council and Land Use Policy commissioner will be sworn in on June 9 at 9 a.m. in the tribal business chambers. The election of 2015-2016 Fort Hall Business Council officers will also take place by secret ballot once the new council is in place.

According to the Tribal Elections Act, an amendment was approved earlier this year by the council to allow “same-day” voter registration for tribal members over the age of 21 years who have maintained a legal residence for at least one year on the Fort Hall Reservation.

The tribal election board said 70 new tribal members registered on May 29.

A Lava Hot Springs teen is listed in critical condition following a onevehicle crash west of that city Thursday morning.

According to Idaho State Police reports, Reanna York, 17, was eastbound on U.S. 30 in a 2007 Mitsubishi Eclipse when she drove off the road, lost control of her car and rolled, coming to rest in a ditch.

The rollover happened just after 5 a.m.

York was not wearing a seat belt. She was transported to Portneuf Medical Center via ambulance and her condition was listed as critical Thursday night.

Idaho State Police also responded to three crashes on Interstate 15 near Fort Hall that occurred within 20 minutes of each other and less than half of a mile apart Thursday.

The first crash occurred just after 5 p.m.

Demery Kisner, 19, of Rigby, was northbound on I-15 in a 2005 Pontiac Bonneville when she swerved to avoid a piece of metal that dislodged from a vehicle in front of her.

Kisner went off the left shoulder, back onto the road and across all lanes before coming to rest on the right shoulder.

Both Kisner and her passenger, Erica Thompson, 19, of Lehi, Utah, were wearing their seat belts.

The second accident happened 20 minutes later and about a half mile from the first crash.

Mathew Peterson, 28, of Sandy, Utah, was northbound on I-15 at milepost 82 in a 2015 Chevrolet Malibu and Keena Evans, 37, of Basalt, was behind him in a 2007 Toyota RAV 4.

Peterson slowed for traffic congestion caused by the first crash and Evans struck his vehicle from behind. He went off the right shoulder and overturned and Evans came to a stop a short distance later.

Both Peterson and Evans were wearing their seat belts.

The third crash occurred at about 20 minutes later.

As he approached the accident scene on I-15, Ryan Partridge, 39, of Firth, was being followed by Gwendolyn Galloway, 52, of Blackfoot and Gennavie Judd, 20, of Pocatello, was behind her.

Judd, driving a Dodge Neon, struck Galloway’s F-150 from behind, pushing it into Partridge’s Altima.

Both the Altima and F-150 moved to the right shoulder. The Neon came to rest in the left lane. All occupants were wearing their seatbelts.

The right lane of traffic was blocked for about two hours, and the left lane was blocked by the third crash for approximately 10 minutes.

None of the occupants were transported to the hospital.

The Idaho Department of Transportation, Fort Hall EMS, and Fort Hall Police Department assisted the Idaho State Police at the crash scene.

The crashes are under investigation by the Idaho State Police.

BY DEBBIE BRYCE
For the Journal

FORT HALL — The family of Joey Running Horse wants to make sure the community doesn’t forget about him and that justice is served in his murder. Running Horse, 23, was stabbed to death in Fort Hall last August.

Running Horse was a member of the Rosebud Sioux tribe and the father of three.

The family said that a suspect has been identified in the killing.

Running Horse’s sister, Amanda Running Horse, described Joey as outgoing, funny and very athletic.

Geraldine FightsOver is actually Joey’s aunt, but she was given custody of Joey more than 20 years ago and she raised him as her own son.

FightsOver said Fort Hall police have a suspect in Joey’s murder and a court date has been set between July 27 and 29 in the case. But she said the case is still under investigation and FightsOver did not disclose the name of that suspect.

Friends and family set up at the Shoshone-Bannock Justice Center Friday with posters, photos and a mission to keep Joey’s case in the public’s eye.

Joey was found unconscious at the intersection of Hawthorne and Edmo roads just south of the Fort Hall town site on Aug. 29, 2014. He had a stab wound to his upper body.

FightsOver said Joey was stabbed at a residence and then taken to the intersection.

“They weren’t trying to save his life. If they were, they were going the wrong direction,” FightsOver said.

Two other individuals at the crime scene were arrested for alcohol violations and Fort Hall police have released no new information in the case except to say that it was still under investigation.

Joey grew up in Fort Hall and is a 2009 graduate of Shoshone Bannock Jr./Sr. High School.

Natasha Ponzo is the mother of two of Joey’s children, 2-year-old Phiebie and Joe, who was born after Joey’s murder.

Ponzo said she plans to make sure her children know who Joey was.

“(Phiebie) knows her dad and we have lots of photos, but I’m going to make sure that (Joe) knows him too,” Ponzo said.

Dozens of photos show Joey laughing and celebrating with family.

“He was the nicest person. He would give you the shirt off his back,or help anyone,” FightsOver said. “I raised him right. There was no drinking. I held the reigns tight.”

Joey’s younger brother, Shawn Running Horse, said he wants to see justice in his brother’s case. His older brother Lincoln Running Horse didn’t have a lot to say during the rally, but was there to support his family.

“I’ll just wait until we get to court to say what I have to say,” Lincoln said. The Fort Hall police did not comment for this story.

Ronald Edmo of Fort Hall, president of the Pocatello Amateur Radio Club, sets up his low frequency portable ham radio. Edmo, a former Vietnam War Green Beret, used his radio to contact operators in India and Nepal during the recent earthquakes in Nepal.

BY MICHAEL H. O’DONNELL
modonnell@journalnet.com

FORT HALL — Ron Edmo is no stranger to emergencies and the need for communications. He was a Green Beret in Vietnam in 1966-67.

Edmo put his past experiences to work as he used his ham radio to connect to people on the ground in India and Nepal during the April earthquakes that rocked Nepal’s capital city of Katmandu and killed nearly 9,000 people.

President of the Pocatello Amateur Radio Club or PARC, Edmo has a computer application that alerts him whenever there are earthquakes on the planet and he used the Internet to get a frequency for contacting people in the region where the quake took place. From his radio unit in Fort Hall, Edmo was able to make a connection with an amateur radio operator in India.

“I turned my radio to that frequency and I could hear him,” Edmo said about the radio operator in India. “We were able to talk.”

The operator in India had connected with ham radio operators at the base of Mount Everest and in Katmandu, and was able to share information.

“Initially, they needed radios to set up a local network to get supplies in there,” Edmo said. “It took a couple of days before any aircraft could get in.”

Edmo said his experiences with the U.S. Army’s 509th Airborne gave him the knowledge to react to the emergency and try to help any way he could.

The former Green Beret medic had been stationed in Italy when a massive earthquake took place near the city of Fruili in 1976. That quake killed 939 people and injured 2,400.

“We were deployed to north Italy when that happened,” Edmo said. “So I could picture what was happening in Nepal.”

Edmo’s experiences under pressure aren’t limited to an Italian earthquake in the 1970s. While he was serving as a medic in Vietnam, a post the Green Berets had established was overrun by North Vietnamese Army regulars and Edmo had to play dead to survive after being cut off from the rest of his team.

The North Vietnamese troops stripped him of his boots and left him for dead.

“I knew we would hit the camp with an airstrike, so I followed the NVA out of the area,” Edmo said.

Once he was about a mile or two from the camp, Edmo circled back to find U.S. forces. He said he moved at night and hid during the day.

When Edmo finally found U.S. soldiers, he said they nearly shot him.

“I said, ‘I’m an American, I’m an American,’” Edmo recalled.

He also recalled that his feet were in bad shape because he had been roaming around in the jungle with bare feet.

“I tried to make sandals out of leaves, but it didn’t work very well,” Edmo said.

Edmo was born on the Duck Valley Indian Reservation in Southwest Idaho and was adopted by a white family when he was eight years old. He grew up in California and became interested in amateur radio at a early age. He secured a novice license as a youngster and remembers being able to link up with the Soviet satellite Sputnik.

“That was really cool,” Edmo said.

Edmo said he didn’t get back into amateur radio until after he left the U.S. Army, after 22 years of service. He also made an effort to reconnect with his family on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation and has been back in Fort Hall since 1991.

“My mother kept my memory alive in the family,” Edmo said.

Friday Edmo was setting up his mobile ham radio with niece Mary Roybal and her son Nakoda outside the Fort Hall Business Center. He has purchased a QRP or lowpower radio that only broadcasts at 10 watts. But he said the unit is capable — when conditions are right — to connect with people all over the world.

Edmo used a long fishing pole to string out the end fed antenna, which was connected to a co-ax cable and then his radio. The antenna was attached to a tree about 26-feet from the fishing pole to form an inverted “L” configuration.

Edmo said amateur radios are the only available means of communication when the major infrastructure in an area fails, like when Hurricane Katrina made landfall.

“These radios always work,” Edmo said.

He said when he made contact with the man in India after the Nepal earthquakes, that operator was trying to acquire more handheld radios and a repeater so people on the ground could communicate during the emergency.

“They also needed batteries and they needed antennas for coordination,” Edmo said.

The former Green Beret said even a single ham radio operator can be critical in emergency situations.

He said that’s why he is into the small, lightweight QRP units that can be set up quickly when needed.

The Pocatello Amateur Radio Club will take part in the national field day Saturday, June 27, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Stewart Park in Chubbuck. Edmo said he will be there and is more than willing to share his enthusiasm for amateur radio.