Category: kifi-local-news

Seth Randal

Experienced reporter David Pace has joined Local News 8 as a Multimedia Journalist, KIFI General Manager Kalvin Pike announced Wednesday.

David may be a familiar name to many in Eastern Idaho. He worked as a writer and editor for East Idaho News, was a senior reporter for the Idaho Falls Post Register newspaper, and reported for the Upper Valley Standard Journal in Rexburg. He most recently served as Press Secretary for U.S. Senator Mike Crapo.

“We’re delighted to add a journalist of David’s caliber to our team,” Pike said. “David has covered many of the biggest issues facing Eastern Idaho and Western Wyoming. We look forward to his shining a light on the stories our viewers care about.”

David has won numerous awards throughout his career, including a first-place award from the Idaho Press Club. He was also honored as “Distinguished Under 40” by the Greater Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce.

“I’ve worked alongside David covering numerous East Idaho events, elections, and stories,” said Stephanie Lucas, Local News 8 Assistant News Director. “I was always consistently impressed with his drive, quick thinking, and ability to stay up to speed with major happenings and make important contacts within the industry,” Lucas said.

Joining Local News 8 is a full-circle moment for David, as he started his career as an editor for our sister station KIDK in 2008. David grew up in Idaho Falls and graduated from Idaho Falls High School. He earned the rank of Eagle Scout. David then served in the United States Marine Corps Reserves. He earned the Army Achievement Medal while serving as an Arabic cryptologic linguist for the Utah National Guard. He served a full-time mission in Rome, Italy, and later interned with the Public Affairs Department for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

He graduated from Brigham Young University in 2017 with a B.A. in Communications, Public Relations emphasis, and a double minor in Middle East Studies and Business Management. David also studied at Saïd Business School at Oxford University.

Viewers can look for David’s reports Monday through Friday, starting next week.

Click here to follow the original article.

News Team

BOZEMAN, Montana (KIFI) — The man who confessed to brutally killing a woman and her dog in a Montana parking lot before fleeing with the victim’s remains to Idaho Falls has been sentenced to spend what will likely be the rest of his life behind bars.

On Tuesday, November 25, 2025, Judge Rienne H. McElyea sentenced Christopher Brandon Foiles, of Spokane, to 60 years in state prison with no possibility of parole for deliberate homicide.

On December 14, 2023, prosecutors say Foiles killed 34-year-old Megan Stedman and her dog in their RV while parked at a Walmart in Bozeman, MT. Foiles fled the state and was discovered a month later by law enforcement in Idaho Falls on Jan. 12, 2024, with his victim’s remains still inside the RV.

Court documents reveal IFPD detectives set up surveillance on the motorhome after it was discovered in the city, working with authorities in Montana to obtain a search warrant.

Eventually, Foiles left the RV, and a detective contacted him. Foiles told the officer, “I am Chris Foiles. I killed my girlfriend; she is in the RV.” Officers then found Stedman’s body inside the back of the RV.

RELATED: Man accused of murdering his girlfriend may have lived with her body for weeks

Folies was originally charged in Idaho with deliberate homicide in Idaho, where he initially pleaded not guilty, before being extradited to Montana. Once in the custody of the Treasure State, Folies was charged with deliberate homicide, aggravated animal cruelty, and identity theft.

Foiles initially pleaded not guilty but changed his plea to guilty in October.

In an interview with our partners KBZK in Bozeman, Stedman’s 16-year-old daughter Jasmine Nataba said it was the closure they deserved, adding that her mother was, and still is, her hero.

“I feel like justice has been served. I feel like it was a closing point for our family and it’s time to heal from this,” said Nataba. “I have to go on without her, and it hurts. I know that she’s still here with me, spiritually, just not physically.”

Click here to follow the original article.

InvestigateWest

Editor’s note: “Guarded by Predators” is an investigative series exposing rape and abuse by Idaho’s prison guards and the system that shields them. Find the entire series at investigatewest.org/guarded-by-predators.

By Whitney Bryen / InvestigateWest

IDAHO — For nearly a year and a half, Andrea Weiskircher has been pleading with prison officials, state leaders and law enforcement to look at the evidence. 

In the summer of 2024, Weiskircher accused five Idaho prison workers of sexually abusing her while she was incarcerated. She had sexually explicit texts, Facebook messages and emails from correction officers and a prison delivery man, Weiskircher told investigators. Any sexual contact between an inmate and prison staff — even voyeurism and harassment — is prohibited by federal standards designed to protect people in custody who are vulnerable to sexual extortion by workers. 

But no one in a position to help believed her. Until now. 

In a Nov. 21 email, Department of Correction Director Bree Derrick told Weiskircher that after reviewing only “a handful” of those messages, prison system investigators were able to substantiate Weiskircher’s allegations against one of those men, Joseph Mena. The decision to reopen the case comes after a series of reports from InvestigateWest exposing shoddy investigations into complaints like Weiskircher’s.

Weiskircher accused Mena, who packaged and delivered commissary items to Idaho prisons, of kissing her while she was incarcerated at South Boise Women’s Correctional Center, bringing her tobacco and other contraband, and propositioning her after she was released. Mena, who no longer works for the prison system, did not respond to calls and messages from InvestigateWest for this story. When reached by phone in September, Mena denied the allegations. 

Department of Correction investigators can’t conduct criminal investigations, only administrative ones, which means Mena likely won’t face any consequences unless law enforcement also reopens a case against him. But for Weiskircher, the new finding means someone believed her, and that was worth the fight. 

“I feel like we won,” Weiskircher told InvestigateWest. “It’s because we all did it together and we didn’t give up. They had to fix it. They had no choice.”

Derrick told Weiskircher that the “finding was just made this week, and I hope demonstrates our commitment to thoroughly investigating your claims, including all relevant evidence.”

There is still a long way to go to create a more “just and humane” system for people in state custody, Weiskircher said. Weiskircher’s decision to report the abuse unwittingly inspired seven other women to report their abuse to the Department of Correction last summer. Those allegations were among dozens uncovered in a series from InvestigateWest that revealed a decade of unchecked sexual abuse by staff at Idaho women’s prisons. As part of the yearlong probe, more than two dozen women told reporters how they were raped, assaulted, coerced and harassed by Idaho prison workers while they were incarcerated. Some refused to file a report, fearing retaliation. And those who did said they were the ones punished — placed in segregated housing and ostracized by other inmates and staff. 

Since 2020, there have been at least 59 documented allegations of staff sexually abusing imprisoned women, InvestigateWest found. Many of those complaints, like Weiskircher’s, were marked as unfounded following little investigation by the Department of Correction. A prison system spokesperson would not share whether any other investigations have been reopened since the news reports were published.    

In Weiskircher’s case, the Department of Correction and Idaho State Police originally marked the allegations as unfounded or “determined not to have occurred,” according to a form sent to Weiskircher from the prison system explaining her case was closed. She sent letters and emails objecting to the decision and offering the evidence she had on her phone. But her appeals were dismissed until the InvestigateWest reports were published in October, including one article highlighting Weiskircher’s fight for justice.

In response to the reporting, Gov. Brad Little ordered the Board of Correction to review sexual abuse cases and the prison system’s public records request process. Advocacy groups have condemned the state’s failure to protect women in its custody, calling it “shameful” and “horrifying,” and demanded immediate action. And at least one state lawmaker is looking for ways to improve prison policies and state law to protect inmates.

Since she was released to drug court in June, Weiskircher has become an even more vocal advocate for women like her. She has written to lawmakers and the governor imploring them to implement solutions that have increased safety for inmates in other states, including: 

expanding Idaho’s prisoner rape law to align with federal standards;

adding a mandatory fine for those convicted of inmate sexual abuse to support victims and prevention efforts;

establishing a corrections ombudsman to provide independent oversight of state prisons;

extending the statute of limitations on these crimes to allow victims time to come forward when they’re no longer under the control of their abuser.  

For victims of rape in Idaho, there is no time limit for when the accused can be criminally charged — unless the victim is an inmate. Sexual contact with a prisoner, the felony charge meant to protect people behind bars from abuse by prison staff, must be filed within five years of the assault. But in some cases, victims are still in custody when that clock runs out, leaving them two options: Report their abuse while they remain under the authority of the person they accused, or forfeit the chance to see their abuser punished. 

Charee Nelson at Christmas with her family’s cat in 2016. Nelson is one of seven women who filed complaints of sexual abuse against Idaho prison workers in the summer of 2024. InvestigateWest found that none of their complaints were properly investigated. (Photo courtesy of Nelson’s family)

Like most of the women who reported their abuse last summer, Weiskircher waited until she was no longer in the custody of the Department of Correction, limiting her opportunities for justice. Of the five men she accused of sexual abuse, the statute of limitations has expired on allegations against at least three of them. Weiskircher’s allegations against Mena, the former prison delivery man, remain within the legal time constraints. Even though kissing is prohibited by federal standards and by Idaho prison policy, Mena can’t be charged for allegedly kissing Weiskircher under the current state law designed to protect inmates from staff abuse because it only criminalizes sexual contact involving someone’s genitals.

“The current legal and institutional framework in Idaho does not impose sufficient punitive consequences on staff who abuse incarcerated people,” Weiskircher wrote in a Nov. 25 email to lawmakers and Gov. Little. “Without mandatory fines or similarly strong accountability, some abusive guards may view the risk as little more than a career setback — not a serious deterrent.”

Despite the legal limitations, Weiskircher is pushing the prison system and state police to reexamine all five men she accused.

Federal law mandates that the Department of Correction perform an administrative investigation anytime staff sexual abuse is reported. If prison investigators find policy violations, the department can fire, suspend, demote or otherwise discipline staff. And it can use the results to improve policies and procedures increasing the safety of inmates. But the prison system lacks the authority to investigate criminal allegations. That falls to Idaho State Police.  

A screenshot of Facebook messages from Joseph Mena, a former Idaho Department of Corrections commissary contractor, to Andrea Weiskircher after she was released from the South Boise Women’s Correctional Center. The department recently reopened its investigation into Weiskircher’s claim that Mena kissed her in violation of a federal law that protects inmates from abuse by staff. (Whitney Bryen/InvestigateWest)

The state police only took on Weiskircher’s case following pressure from an Ada County judge. But her claims were not thoroughly investigated, according to case files that the agency provided to InvestigateWest. Detectives merged Weiskircher’s allegations with two other women, even though they accused different men at different prisons. None of the men Weiskircher accused were contacted by police. Weiskircher emailed some of the messages that the Department of Correction used to substantiate one of her claims to a detective, but there was no mention of them in the case files. Her case was closed as “determined not to have occurred” after a detective misrepresented the facts in her case file, claiming that she told him she never had any sexual contact with prison guards — despite an audio recording of his interview proving otherwise.

State police launched an internal affairs investigation into at least one of the detectives who worked on Weiskircher’s case, she and her attorney told InvestigateWest after they met with a lieutenant. Police spokesman Aaron Snell did not respond to questions about the investigation into one of the detectives or whether Weiskircher’s case was being reopened. 

Weiskircher met with a Department of Correction investigator Monday who told her he would review all of her evidence and determine if any of her other claims need to be reopened, she told InvestigateWest. In an emailed statement, the Department of Correction said it is “carefully reviewing” evidence shared by Weiskircher and will reopen investigations into her other claims “if warranted.” 

None of the men she accused still work for the Department of Correction. However, if her claims are substantiated, the accused could have their officer certifications revoked, a red flag on their record that could prevent them from being hired for another position where they oversee vulnerable people. One of the men she accused is working as a correction officer in Oregon. 

For Weiskircher, it’s not only about holding these men accountable. It’s also about holding the system accountable. 

“Making them acknowledge they did something wrong is the only way to make them fix it,” Weiskircher said. “I told the truth about all of it. Not some of it. Not part of it. All of it. And I’m not going to stop until they make it right.” 

InvestigateWest (invw.org) is an independent news nonprofit dedicated to investigative journalism in the Pacific Northwest. Reporter Whitney Bryen can be reached at 208-918-2458, whitney@investigatewest.org and on X @WhitneyBryen.

Click here to follow the original article.

Ariel Jensen

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — With Thanksgiving tomorrow, November 27th, people are heading to their holiday destination. 

Roads are expected to be busy today as AAA of Idaho projects 82 million Americans are traveling this holiday weekend, and airports are already seeing a crowd.

Looking for parking at the Idaho Falls airport, it’s usually not an issue. However, this year, the parking lot is filled, as a line of cars parked along the side of the road near the exit path when parking reached capacity.

The city of Idaho Falls is urging people to try using a GIFT( Greater Idaho Falls Transit), lift, Uber, or try calling a family friend to take you to the airport. 

The city is not sure how long the parking lot will be full for, but they say it is expected to be a packed lot over the holiday weekend. Travelers are being asked to arrive at the airport two hours before their flight.

Click here to follow the original article.

Seth Ratliff

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — A frazzled feline is safe and sound, back on solid ground two days atop a high-voltage power pole on Fremont Avenue.

Concerned Idaho Falls residents spotted the cat last night and took to social media to ask for help. An IFP lineman was dispatched to the scene, facing a rescue attempt complicated by dangerous working conditions. Commenting on the difficulty of the rescue, IFP noted that they were unable to cut power to residents during the rescue, which meant the work had to be done “hot,”.

“We’re happy to report that thanks to the incredible skill and compassion of our utility lineman, the cat was safely rescued and is now back on solid ground!” Idaho Falls Power shared in a celebratory Facebook post.

Commenting on the difficult circumstances, IFP praised the crew for their skills. “Working on energized lines takes an extreme amount of focus, precision, and finesse to do safely,” the post read. “We’re incredibly proud of the expertise and steady hands our crew demonstrated to get this job done without impacting service.”

While thrilled by the happy ending, Idaho Falls Power reminds residents that Power poles are incredibly dangerous. The utility provider urges residents to never attempt to handle an issue or rescue an animal themselves. If you see a problem or an animal in distress on a power pole, please call Idaho Falls Power immediately.

Click here to follow the original article.

CNN Newsource

Originally Published: 26 NOV 25 15:15 ET

By Michael Martin

Click here for updates on this story

    BIG COTTONWOOD CANYON, Utah (KSTU) — A Utah father who went missing overnight last month with his three children in Big Cottonwood Canyon has been charged with multiple counts of child torture and aggravated child abuse.

The indictment accuses Micah Smith of being “selfish” and formally charges him with 3 counts of child torture and three counts of aggravated child abuse. He is currently being held without bail.

“What seemed like an innocent hike with his three children quickly turned into a nightmare when the defendant chose to summit a mountain over the safety of the kids,” the indictment read.

On Saturday, Oct. 11, Smith and his three children, ages 2, 4, and 8, went hiking in the Broads Fork Trail, and were later reported missing by family after the group failed to return and troubling text messages between Smith and his wife.

The group was finally discovered the next morning by first responders, with all four being transported to the hospital, where the 4-year-old boy remains. Search and rescue team members noted that Smith was “behaving oddly and did not appear to be concerned about the children” when the family was found, and that he told the team that “one of his children was dead.”

According to the indictment, when the group was found on the trail, the children were standing alongside a boulder with a few sticks stacked against it to provide wind cover. It was noted that the children were not wearing much clothing, and the 2-year-old was underneath the 4-year-old.

Rescuers said that when they arrived, the 4-year-old was mostly exposed, unconscious, and appeared lifeless at the time of the rescue, with first responders detecting no pulse. While being rushed to the hospital, officers performed 25 minutes of CPR on the child. Upon arrival at the hospital, the core body temperature of the boy was 62.6 degrees Fahrenheit, and he later suffered a stroke and needed to have a portion of his skull removed.

Smith’s 8-year-old daughter told investigators that at the beginning of the day, Smith told his children they were going on a 9-mile or 9-hour hike, she wasn’t sure which. When the group was about two miles from the top of the trail, they had to start climbing rocks and grabbing bushes to hold on.

As they approached the top of the trail, clouds started to roll in, prompting Smith’s daughter to tell her father that the group should leave. Smith reportedly shook his head and said, “This is a once-in-a-lifetime thing.”

After his daughter again shared that she was getting scared, Smith answered, “you shall not pass.”

When the storm arrived, it started snowing, hailing, and raining, according to the girl, with her father instructing her how to perform CPR on her 4-year-old brother.

When interviewed, Smith said the family attempted to hike back down the trail at 6 p.m. but had to stop at around 600 feet down to find shelter. During the hike down, Smith said his 2-year-old son fell and struck his head, causing him to appear dazed. At that point, Smith claimed he found a large rock and sticks to make a shelter for the children.

Two hours later, Smith told investigators that his 2-year-old son became unconscious and stopped breathing, and that he attempted CPR on the child until he was breathing on his own.

While taking shelter during the night, Smith said the 4-year-old boy started to become very cold and had difficulty breathing, but began breathing on their own again after CPR, but was still not coherent.

Smith alleged that at that point, he taught the oldest daughter how to do CPR and started going back down the mountain alone.

A search of Smith’s phone revealed multiple photos and videos taken during the day of the hike. In one video, his daughter can be heard talking about the clouds moving in and asking, “Are we going to freeze to death, daddy?”

Smith also sent multiple text messages to his wife, who asked if the children were safe. At 5:18 p.m., Smith replied, “Yes, [The 4-year-old] is exhausted. We’re almost to the very top, but everyone is starting to fail and it’s starting to rain. I’m getting tired of carrying [2-year-old]. It’s tough with three children and no second parent.”

Minutes later, Smith’s wife replied, “You better leave it’s gonna get dark.” Smith texted that he was getting stressed out and sent a photo at 6:11 p.m. showing the kids surrounded by rocks and snow.

According to the Cottonwood Heights Police Department, one month before the incident, Smith had expressed suicidal thoughts and was found with multiple firearms attempting to locate a mountain. At the time, Smith told an officer that he was “going through a really hard time” and was going to “hike up to the top of the mountain.” However, despite two guns and an axe discovered in his vehicle, Smith denied that he was going to harm himself.

On Nov. 10, weeks after he and his children went missing on their hike, Smith was found accused of trespassing at Primary Children’s Hospital and interfering with his 4-year-old son’s medical care and tampering with equipment.

Following the hospital incident, Smith was arrested for domestic violence, although information about what occurred to cause that action has not been released.

“The defendant’s behavior is clearly spiraling, and he’s not only a danger to himself, but he is a danger to these victims,” the indictment read.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. WXYZ verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate partner and does not contain original CNN reporting.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2025 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

Click here to follow the original article.

Seth Ratliff

BOISE, Idaho (KIFI) — After nearly eighty years, an Idaho soldier is finally coming home. This June, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency identified the body of U.S. Army 2nd Lt. Charles S. Atteberry, 26, of Wilder, Idaho, who was killed during World War II.

After delivering a full briefing to Lt. Atteberry’s family, the DPAA has released the full details on Atteberry’s service and how he was identified.

Who was Lt. Attebery?

After joining the war effort, Lt. Atteberry was assigned to the 31st Infantry Regiment, Philippine Army, on the Bataan Peninsula in the Philippines. While there, he was captured by the forces of the Empire of Japan and held in the Philippines as a Prisoner of War until late 1944.

Japanese ‘Hell Ship’ the Enoura Maru, Courtesy DPAA

In December 1944, the Japanese military began moving POWs from Manila to Japan aboard the transport ship Oryoku Maru. This vessel, and others used for transport, were infamously known by Allied prisoners as ‘Hell Ships’ due to the inhumane conditions and treatment of prisoners aboard.

Unaware that Allied POWs were among the passengers, on December 14, 1944, a U.S. carrier-borne aircraft attacked the Oryoku Maru in Subic Bay. As the ship sank, historians estimate more than a thousand POWs fled into the water. Though the survivors swam toward land, they were quickly recaptured by Japanese forces.

Lt. Atteberry was then loaded onto a second Hell Ship, the Enoura Maru, bound for Takao, Formosa, known today as Taiwan. On Jan. 9, 1945, U.S. forces attacked the Enoura Maru while it was anchored at Takao, unknowingly killing an estimated 300 POWs.

Japanese authorities reported that Atteberry was transferred to a third ship, the Brazil Maru, headed for Moji, Japan, where he allegedly died days later. Surviving U.S. POWs reported that the casualties aboard the Brazil Maru were committed to the sea.

The Identification Challenge

Following the war, the American Graves Registration Service faced major challenges identifying the bodies of lost soldiers, noting that casualty reports provided by the Japanese government to the International Red Cross contained numerous errors. Lt. Atteberry was one of five individuals marked as “discrepancies” who the American Graves Registration Service believed died aboard the Enoura Maru.

In May 1946, AGRC Search and Recovery Team #9 exhumed a mass grave on a beach at Takao, Formosa, recovering 311 bodies. Among them were remains designated as X-546A Schofield Mausoleum #1, which the AGRS believed had died aboard the Enoura Maru. Following unsuccessful attempts to identify the remains, they were declared unidentifiable and buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, known as the Punchbowl.

Decades later, the DPAA’s final analysis brought closure to the families of unidentified soldiers. Between October 2022 and July 2023, the DPAA exhumed unidentified remains from the Punchbowl, including X-546A.

Using anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence, DPAA scientists were able to identify Atteberry’s remains. In addition, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System confirmed their findings using DNA analysis.

Lt. Atteberry’s name is currently etched on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in the Philippines. The DPAA says a rosette will now be placed next to his name, indicating that he has been accounted for. Lt. Atteberry will be interred in Parma, Idaho, on a date to be determined.

Of the casualties aboard the Enoura Maru, 904 POWs remain unaccounted for. Of them, 5 are Idahoans. For more information on the Enoura Maru Project aiming to identify unaccounted for U.S. soldiers involved in the attack, click HERE.

Click here to follow the original article.

Ariel Jensen

Idaho (KIFI) – Environmental groups have concerns about water levels at an area lake, but officials say it needs to be temporarily lowered. Silver Lake at Harriman State Park had its water levels lowered recently as preventative maintenance on a head gate that goes underneath the main spillway. 

Idaho Parks and Recreation officials explained the water level had to be lowered so construction crews could access the area.

The move had environmental groups asking what that means for the fish living there. A concern parks and rec say they share.

“We have the same concern. It’s a beautiful area, a beautiful habitat. And we’ve taken steps along the way to ensure that that resource is protected,” said. We’ve had staff on site throughout the entire process, monitoring and making sure that the fish are protected through this process. And to this point, we’ve observed no major impact to the fish or the waterfowl in the area,” said Ryan Buffington, East Region Manager for the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation 

The headgate was no longer functioning, and Parks and Recreation officials say it needed to be addressed.

“Our engineers determined that it was the most effective and safest way to access the area that needed to be replaced. This was preventative maintenance. It was scheduled in advance, and it was crucial to get it done,” said Buffington.

Buffington says managers were in coordination with all the state and federal agencies, required every step of the way. Ensuring the correct processes were followed during repairs.

“We met with the Army Corps of Engineers, and it was determined that this project fell under a permit 33 for temporary construction access and dewatering. Therefore, it didn’t need a special permit,” said Buffington.

Buffington says once water levels dropped, they could see the damage to the headgate was worse than originally believed. That made the repairs more important than ever.  

Click here to follow the original article.

News Release

The following is a news release from the City of Pocatello:

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) — Thursday and Friday’s garbage, recycling, yard waste, and leaf collections for Pocatello residents will be delayed by one day because of the Thanksgiving holiday.

Garbage, recycling, yard waste, and leaves will not be picked up Thursday, November 27; residents with a Thursday pickup are asked to place their autocarts, as well as leaves that have been placed in compostable bags, out for pickup Friday by 7 a.m. Residents with a Friday pickup are asked to place their autocarts and compostable bags out Saturday by 7 a.m. The schedule change will not affect Monday through Wednesday pickups earlier in the week.

The Sanitation Services Department will resume its regular pickup schedule beginning Monday, December 1.

Officials would also like to remind residents that the Bannock County Landfill will be closed on Thanksgiving.

For more information on the programs offered by the Sanitation Services Department, visit pocatello.gov/sanitation. 

Click here to follow the original article.

Megan Lavin

BOISE, Idaho (KIFI) — Idaho is preparing to make severe cuts to adult mental health services starting December 2, sparking widespread fear and even legal action across the state. The cuts stem from state lawmakers’ attempts to cover a budget deficit by slashing funding for several state programs.

The crisis began after the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare announced a 4% pay rate cut for Medicaid medical providers. Following this announcement, Magellan of Idaho—the private company managing Idaho Medicaid’s mental health benefits—announced plans to cut pay rates for Medicaid mental health services by 4% to 15%.

Community leaders, mental health professionals, and law enforcement are warning of severe consequences. Bonneville County Sheriff Sam Hulse warns, “When you tear those systems down, there are consequences for it.”

‘Literally a Matter Between Life and Death’

The immediate effect of the cuts is a collapse of the existing support structure, putting vulnerable clients at risk and forcing professionals out of their jobs. Beth Duenes, a peer support specialist, is losing her job and fears for her clients. She stresses the life-saving nature of their work.

“We’re the folks who are basically on the front line,” explains Duenes. “I’ve had several clients already that have said if it wasn’t for me coming around, they wouldn’t be here. So it’s literally a matter between life and death.

“Now I’m going to go on unemployment. I’m going to go on food stamps, I’m going to go on Medicaid. Those things I don’t need now because I have a job right now. So they’re taking away many jobs.”

Idaho already ranks 48th in the nation for mental health services. Dr. Thomas Tueller, owner of Tueller Services, estimates the cuts will leave approximately 500 clients with severe mental illnesses on their own, with no safety net.

“Where does that put us as a state?” asks Dr. Tueller. “Here’s the frustrating thing, the state has done a redesign on the behavioral health system. We have the Idaho Behavioral Health Council that has been looking at this stuff. We know the realities. And for them to arbitrarily cut these types of programs that we know are critical to the services in the community, you’re going to lose $10 for every dollar you save,” said Tueller.

Sheriff Warns Cuts Will Overwhelm Jails and Hospitals

Sheriff Hulse, who has also sat on the behavioral health board for years, warns the cuts will only shift the burden, and the cost, onto Idaho’s already strained law enforcement and healthcare systems.

“We know exactly what happens. We have the data to back that up. We have the history to back that up,” urges Sheriff Hulse. “What ends up happening is those individuals, they’re going to come to our jails that are already experiencing overcrowding in many parts of the state.”

In a news release, the Idaho Association of Community Providers estimated the cuts would not save money but would shift “$150 to $180 million in new costs” to Idaho’s hospitals, counties, EMS systems, and child-welfare programs.

Sheriff Hulse agreed, emphasizing that it costs so much more to be reactive than to be preventative. He estimates that hospitalization for one client cost about $384,000 for a single year.

“You’re going to have issues related to emergency rooms… That’s not just the emergency rooms here in Bonneville County. That’s also places like Memorial in Lemhi County…really overburdened rural hospital structures. Now you have individuals that are in a psychiatric crisis that end up coming into those communities because they’re underserved, because the resources that were keeping them stable are gone,” explains Hulse.

He stressed that local law enforcement will bear the brunt of the problem, but many of these individuals would not face criminalization if they were receiving proper community services.

Dr. Tueller adds that cutting services creates a “revolving door” crisis cycle. “If they go into the jails or they go into the hospital, they’ll oftentimes lose their apartment, they’ll lose their home, then they become homeless.”

Mental Health Clinics Sue to Halt Cuts

In response to the cuts, four Idaho mental health clinics filed a lawsuit against the DHW last week, including;  Access Behavioral Health Services, Tueller Counseling Service, Riverside Recovery and Mental Health Specialists. The lawsuit asks a judge court order to pause Magellan of Idaho’s planned cuts.

“This is critical care — without their medication, these patients pose a serious threat of harm to themselves or others,” attorneys for the clinics wrote in support of their motion for a stay on the planned cut, according to a report by the Idaho Capital Sun.

Petition Gathers 7,500 Signatures

Mental health providers like Duenes and Dr. Tueller are urging citizens to contact their state representatives immediately, and encouraging them to sign a petition opposing the cuts. As of Tuesday, the petition has gathered over 7,500 signatures.

For more information, click HERE.

Local News 8 has reached out to Magellan, the service provider for Medicaid, on November 21, and have not heard back yet.

Click here to follow the original article.