Idaho
Sheriff’s deputy accused of texting and driving in crash that killed 80-year-old: Reports
Stephanie Grisham, a 38-year-old deputy for the Bingham County Sheriff’s Office, is accused of texting and driving during a deadly crash in February.
A sheriff’s deputy in Idaho has been charged for being involved in a deadly crash that investigators say was caused by the officer texting while driving.
Stephanie Grisham, a 38-year-old deputy for the Bingham County Sheriff’s Office with nine years of patrol service, was charged on July 23 with misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter, Idaho court records show.
Grisham, who was driving a Bingham County Sheriff’s Office black Ford Explorer patrol SUV, is accused of killing 80-year-old, Robert Beal, in a two-vehicle collision on Feb. 1, according to a probable cause affidavit from Idaho State Police obtained by East Idaho News.
Dennis P. Wilkinson, Grisham’s defense attorney, told USA TODAY he had “no comment on the case at this time.” The attorney did say they have filed a notice of appearance and not-guilty plea on Grisham’s behalf.
USA TODAY contacted the Idaho State Police, Bingham County Sheriff’s Office and Bingham County Magistrate Court on Monday but has not received a response.
How did the crash happen?
Beal was driving east in a Dodge Ram pickup with his 76-year-old wife riding in the passenger seat when Grisham drove into the oncoming eastbound lane and hit the truck head-on, East Idaho News reported, per the affidavit.
Both vehicles had stopped off the roadway as a result of the crash, the outlet said, citing the affidavit. All occupants were confined inside their vehicles until emergency responders extracted them.
Beal was pronounced dead at the scene due to injuries he suffered from the crash, while his wife was taken to a hospital in serious condition. Grisham was also taken to the hospital with critical injuries.
‘I’m such an idiot’
An Idaho State Police detective reviewed Grisham’s dashcam footage and compared it to the text message thread on the deputy’s cell phone, East Idaho News said, per the affidavit. The detective noticed there was text message activity on the phone at the time of the crash, the outlet added.
The dash cam footage also showed Grisham’s patrol car veer to the left and go into the oncoming lane of traffic.
The detective also interviewed a Firth Fire Captain who responded to the crash. The captain told the detective that Grisham said, “I screwed up. I was on my phone texting. I’m such an idiot,” according to the affidavit, the East Idaho News reported.
Idaho
Idaho is in for a streak of clear skies next week
After a round of showers came through this week, the Gem State is staying dry and clear for next week.
Temperatures finally started to feel winter-like as we take a tumble this weekend. Consistent 40’s the highs, and 20’s the lows.
Conditions on the valley floors are not expected to get past the mid 40’s. Showers appear to be nonexistent for the next 7 to 10 days.
We will also see some air stagnation in our area, meaning that as a high-pressure ridge moves in, not too much change is expected in the air. So, air quality may take a bit of a fall.
Not much more than cold and dry air is on the way for Idaho, but at least the sun will shine for most of the forecast.
Have a great weekend and stay warm!
Idaho
Interstate 84 near Mountain Home back open after utility work
MOUNTAIN HOME, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) — Interstate 84 near Mountain Home is back open after crews closed the freeway due to utility work.
Crews closed westbound and eastbound lanes on Saturday morning from milepost 90 to milepost 95 due to Idaho Power working on power lines in the area, according to the Elmore County Sheriff’s Office. All lanes are now back open in both directions.
The sheriff’s office and the Mountain Home Police Department apologized for the inconvenience, saying they were just informed of the closure on Saturday morning.
More information regarding road closures and traffic conditions can be found at the Idaho Transportation Department’s 511 map.
Copyright 2026 KMVT. All rights reserved.
Idaho
Idaho murder victims’ families file wrongful death lawsuit against Washington State University
The families of the four University of Idaho students killed in a brutal 2022 stabbing attack have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Washington State University (WSU), alleging the school ignored repeated warning signs about Bryan Kohberger.
The civil complaint, filed Jan. 7 in Skagit County Superior Court, was brought by Steve Goncalves, father of Kaylee Goncalves; Karen Laramie, mother of Madison Mogen; Jeffrey Kernodle, father of Xana Kernodle; and Stacy Chapin, mother of Ethan Chapin.
The lawsuit accuses WSU of gross negligence, wrongful death and violations of federal education laws, including Title IX. The plaintiffs are seeking unspecified monetary damages.
Attorney Robert Clifford, senior partner at Clifford Law Offices, said that the decision to leave damages “unspecified” is a strategic norm in high-stakes litigation because it prevents the focus from shifting towards sensationalism and keeps the decision firmly in the hands of the jury.
“Ultimately, that’s to be determined and answered by the jury,” said Clifford, who is not involved in the lawsuit. “But you have some compelling facts and the liability is going to depend on the strength of what the school knew.”
Despite Kohberger’s guilty plea in the murders, Clifford explained the civil case remains strong because the families face a lower burden of proof – requiring only a preponderance of evidence to establish the university’s liability.
“The mere fact that he pled guilty might not even be admissible in the civil proceeding because he’s not the defendant, right? If he is a defendant in the civil proceeding, then his plea of guilty will be important. And indeed, this school might try to use that to say, ‘See, it wasn’t our fault. He admits that it was his fault.’ But the bar is different for someone in a criminal proceeding than it is in a civil proceeding.”
According to the lawsuit, WSU hired Kohberger as a teaching assistant in its criminal justice and criminology department and provided him with a salary, tuition benefits, health insurance and on-campus housing.
The victims’ families allege the university had extensive authority over Kohberger’s conduct but failed to act despite mounting concerns.
Here’s the latest coverage on Bryan Kohberger:
The complaint says WSU received at least 13 formal reports accusing Kohberger of threatening, stalking, harassing or predatory behavior toward female students and staff during the fall 2022 semester. The families argue university officials did not meaningfully investigate those complaints or remove Kohberger from campus before the murders – even though they had the authority to do so.
The lawsuit also alleges that the university failed to use its own threat-assessment systems designed to identify individuals who pose a risk of violence, even as concerns about Kohberger escalated. Instead, the families claim, the university continued to employ him, house him and give him access to students.
“The murders were foreseeable and preventable,” the complaint states, alleging WSU prioritized avoiding legal and reputational risk over student safety.
The lawsuit also alleges broad failures within the public university, including alleged dysfunction within campus police and compliance officers who are responsible for handling accusations of misconduct, including sexual harassment and stalking.
Kohberger pleaded guilty in July 2025 to four counts of first-degree murder and burglary. He was sentenced to four consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole.
Prosecutors said Kohberger stabbed the four students in the early morning hours of Nov. 13, 2022, inside an off-campus rental home in Moscow, Idaho, just miles from the WSU campus in Pullman, Washington.
Kohberger was arrested in Pennsylvania in December 2022 following a multi-state investigation.
Authorities linked him to the crime through DNA evidence, surveillance video and cellphone data showing repeated late-night trips near the victims’ home.
WSU has not yet filed a response to the lawsuit. Fox News Digital has reached out to WSU for comment.
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