Bank robbery suspect sentenced 5 years for fleeing traffic stop, ramming ISP vehicle
Stephanie Lucas
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — Rulon J. Olson, 35, of Idaho Falls, was sentenced Wednesday to five years in prison after fleeing a traffic stop last year, ramming an Idaho State Police vehicle during the pursuit. 2 years of the sentence are fixed and 3 years are indeterminate. In addition to his prison term, Olson has been ordered to pay over $3,600 in restitution.
Olson was identified by Pocatello Police last year as a suspect in the May 7, 2025, robbery of the Mountain America Credit Union located at 1012 Yellowstone Avenue in Pocatello. Authorities located the getaway vehicle later that week and issued an arrest warrant for Olson.
He was captured later that month, on May 22, 2025, in Idaho Falls, following a high-speed pursuit by Idaho State Police (ISP). According to an initial ISP report, Olson fled a traffic stop after troopers discovered his outstanding warrant.
During the pursuit, Olson, who had a 26-year-old passenger and a juvenile child in his vehicle, rammed a patrol car. Troopers successfully employed a Precision Immobilization Technique (PIT) maneuver to stop the vehicle. Olson then attempted to escape on foot into a nearby field but was quickly captured and arrested by ISP personnel.
The prosecutor characterized Olson’s actions as “the height of anti-social behavior, because he put the lives of the officers and the public in danger.”
Olson initially faced a litany of charges, including felony child endangerment, eluding, assault on a law enforcement officer, damage to state property, resisting and obstructing officers, related to his attempt to flee the traffic stop. While he initially pleaded not guilty to the charges, Olson changed his plea earlier this year in exchange for reduced charges.