Idaho
‘Recovery is possible’: Idaho State Police celebrate diversion program graduate
COEUR d’ALENE — For a person recovering from substance use disorder, a year of sobriety is made up of countless moments of courage and resilience.
That’s how case manager Teighan Moore put it Thursday, as she gathered at the Idaho State Police District 1 office with police officers, attorneys, judges and others to celebrate a community member graduating from Idaho Law Enforcement Diversion, or ILED.
The program is a statewide coalition of local initiatives that divert low-level, nonviolent offenders into substance use treatment instead of taking them to jail. Thursday’s graduate, who has not been named publicly, is the second Kootenai County resident to complete ILED.
“Sobriety is not an easy path and it takes immense determination to overcome the challenges that come with it,” Moore told the graduate. “You have faced those challenges head on, inspiring many with your commitment to change and grow. Your journey is a beacon of hope to others who are struggling, showing them that recovery is possible and that a brighter future awaits.”
Sgt. Ron Sutton read aloud a letter from the trooper who referred the graduate to ILED one year ago.
“I just want you to know that I’m very proud of you,” the letter said in part. “You had to do a lot of hard work to get where you are today. It’s not always easy when you are struggling with addiction, but you did it. You overcame and for that, I am proud of you and happy for you and your family.”
The graduate smiled as he looked out at the room full of people who had helped him along the way.
“Thank you, everybody,” he said. “This was a great program.”
Brandi Clark, an addiction recovery coach at the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, said ILED gives law enforcement another tool to combat the opioid crisis in North Idaho.
“The goal we have as a team is to see people achieve recovery,” she said.
The program has strict eligibility requirements, resulting in a small number of referrals. Those committing violent crimes and crimes involving firearms are not eligible for ILED. Trafficking, possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver and driving under the influence are ineligible offenses.
Participants must be adults who have no felony convictions within the past 10 years. They must not be on probation or parole. Sex offenders and individuals who are subject to a no-contact order or civil protection order are not eligible. Referrals are voluntary.
The program fills a gap in services, Clark said. Kootenai County has specialty courts offering voluntary, post-conviction programs for controlled substance offenders, but those programs are geared toward people who have a history of legal problems. ILED provides a path for low-level offenders, giving them an opportunity to get on a different path.
In Kootenai County, ISP and the Rathdrum Police Department have adopted the program. The Coeur d’Alene Police Department is also expected to join, with officers having the option to refer misdemeanor drug-related offenders to ILED.
Chief deputy city attorney Ryan Hunter said the program will affect whole communities, not just individual participants.
“This is not just a change in our graduate,” he said. “It breaks a cycle that is generational.”
Clark said it’s gratifying to see the program’s second graduation.
“It feels like such a huge victory, not only for our team but for the program moving forward,” she said. “If it helps at least one person, then we’ve done the right thing. Now we’re onto two, with more people still in the program.”
PAYETTE — A Payette mom’s bond was revoked Tuesday after she was charged with suffocating her twin children earlier this month and is believed to pose a danger to the life of her newborn child.
The case, which has drawn national headlines, concerns Andrea Renee Shaw, a 23-year-old Payette mother who in May 2025 said her 18-month-old fraternal twins died the same day, after receiving routine childhood vaccinations. In January, Shaw joined as a plaintiff in a federal lawsuit filed by Children’s Health Defense, an anti-vaccine organization founded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., with several other plaintiffs claiming vaccine injury or death.
Kennedy, who now serves as secretary of Health and Human Services, is no longer part of the group after taking on the cabinet position, as was reported by the Associated Press.
In Idaho, the twins’ deaths prompted a 14-month investigation by the Payette County Sheriff’s Department. On June 29, the investigation yielded a grand jury indictment of Shaw on two counts of first-degree murder by suffocation. If convicted, Shaw can be punished by up to life in prison or the death penalty, and the court would have the ability to order the penalties be served consecutively, or back to back.
Tuesday’s arraignment at the Payette County Courthouse was primarily attended by Shaw’s relatives and members of the media. Payette County Judge Kiley Stuchlik, who serves Idaho’s Third Judicial District, presided.
A key consideration for Stuchlik on Tuesday was a request from Joseph Filicetti, the legal counsel for Shaw, to have her bond reduced from $2 million to $100,000. Filicetti said this would allow for Shaw to care for a newborn girl, who, according to court documents, was born by caesarean section on June 25, four days prior to Shaw’s grand jury indictment.
State prosecutors objected to the motion for bond reduction, noting at hand was a potential death penalty case and asserting, unlike her husband, Shaw’s story repeatedly changed during questioning. Prosecuting Attorney Mike Duke said releasing Shaw would ultimately put the newborn’s safety at risk.
“That child is the most at risk. We do not think she should be allowed to be anywhere near any children, let alone her own children,” Duke said.
Stuchlik decided to revoke bond entirely, stating Shaw posed a “risk of safety” to the newborn child that was not known to Stuchlik or prosecutors when the $2 million bond was initially set.
Also for consideration Tuesday was a request to have grand jury transcripts of witness testimony provided to prosecutors and defense counsel to prepare their respective cases.
Idaho
Idaho is home to the nation's first DarkSky Reserve. Now it's home to the nations first DarkSky Certified Resort
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) – A controversy is brewing as the City of Idaho Falls reviews its alcohol ordinance.
The goal is to consolidate four existing ordinances for beer, wine and liquor into a single law and ensure compliance with state code.
However, at its meeting last Thursday, the Idaho Falls City Council unanimously voted to remove the proposed ordinance from its agenda, in order to receive and consider additional public comment.
The proposed ordinance would:
1. Require commercial establishments selling, dispensing or permitting consumption of alcohol – including beer, wine or liquor – to have an alcohol license, alcohol catering permit or a charitable event permit.
2. Business events with 20 or less employees consuming alcohol at the business would be allowed.
3. Require alcohol servers to complete training every three years.
4. Individuals who violate the law could be charged with a misdemeanor.
Idaho Falls City Council President Jim Francis said the changes were the culmination of months of collaboration between law enforcement, business owners and city attorneys.
“We wanted to provide a safe environment – the primary point here – for public gatherings,” Francis said. “We recognize that certain antiquated elements of the current code are overly restrictive and needed to be addressed. We wanted to make the code more accessible to the public. We needed to address over-pouring issues. We wanted to reduce penalties where possible for violations, particularly the first offenses, and yet make the code clear enough to be enforceable consistently by law enforcement.”
But City Council Member John Radford said the changes represent an overreach by city government.
“I believe it’s a bad policy. What problem are we solving in the name of trying to solve a non-problem?” Radford said. “We’re becoming big brother around alcohol in your private property. I’m concerned that landlords will be at risk of being charged with a misdemeanor if they knowingly, which I made sure that was in there, because that is what we’ve been talking about, allowed people to drink in our business. We will be outside the norm of Idaho cities. This is a big step, and I don’t think the public has weighed in on this.”
At a City Council Work Session on June 1, Idaho Falls Chief of Police Bryce Johnson cited an increase in alcohol-related crime – particularly downtown – as a reason for the changes.
“DUI is there, but this would include sexual assaults, assaults, batteries, disturbances, urination, public vandalism, shooting – all sorts of crimes,” Johnson said.
But business owners are concerned about the potential impact on commercial enterprises.
“The ordinance doesn’t address the real problem – which is people drinking … at one event and then showing up in a bar or restaurant already hammered and causing problems anyway,” ” said Terri Ireland, representing the Idaho Falls Downtown Merchants Association. “The industry is really well-regulated by state and local laws already.”
The City of Idaho Falls began the process of updating its alcohol ordinance in January 2026, seeking input from community stakeholders.
Multiple community members spoke out about the ordinance.
For more in-depth information, you can read the full 39-page proposed alcohol ordinance here.
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