Idaho
Shop with a Cop brings smiles to children in Idaho Falls and Ammon – East Idaho News
A Shop with a Cop recipient playing with a police radio during the parade. | Jessica Clements, Idaho Falls Police Department
IDAHO FALLS — The community was greeted with the wail of police sirens early Saturday morning.
But there was no emergency in Idaho Falls.
The dozens of police cruisers and SUVs that traveled from the Eagles Lodge, on Hemmert Street in Idaho Falls, to Target, on Hitt Road in Ammon, were part of the annual law enforcement parade for Shop with a Cop.
Inside each of those vehicles, was a deserving child who had just eaten a warm breakfast with an officer, trooper or deputy and was now on their way to see Santa and go shopping for their families.
Bonneville County Sheriff Sgt. Bryan Lovell told EastIdahoNews.com that 31 kids were involved this year, and each of them had been exposed to traumatic or abusive situations where law enforcement may have had to get involved.
“We have a lot of fun and make a lot of noise, but this also builds relationships between our officers and these kids,” Lovell said. “Hopefully, whatever negative experience these kids have had (with law enforcement), we can turn it into a positive today.”
The sheriff’s office receives community support and donations to make the program happen every December. Each child receives a couple hundred dollars to buy gifts for their family. The program is now in its 31st year.
RELATED | Hundreds of kids helped after 30 years of Shop with a Cop
EastIdahoNews.com spoke to a number of the officers and children while they were shopping for their families. Many of the officers say it is a highlight of their year, and the kids were all smiles.
One of 11-year-old Olivia Collin’s favorite movies is “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” so she got to blast the music in the patrol car on the way to Target.
“The best part was getting to play with the sirens and stuff in the car,” she said.
In a somewhat rarer instance, Olivia’s mother Jessica Jensen, also got to participate in the experience.
“I think its absolutely amazing,” Jensen said. “It’s a good way for kids to see that cops aren’t just this scary thing that’s going to pull you over. They care and are real people, and can have fun with you and provide a safe space.”
Probation and Parole Officer Brynn Henricksen participated in the Shop with a Cop program for the first time on Saturday. She said her experience with 10-year-old Lilian was incredible.
“I love it. I can’t even begin to explain how full this made my cup this year,” she said. “Just seeing the joy, seeing them have fun, smile, laugh and experience a good time makes me really happy.”
Anyone wishing to donate to Shop with a Cop can contact Lovell at blovell@bonnevillecountysheriff.gov.
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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.
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