Fifteen years after she was killed while walking along the Boise Greenbelt on her way to church, carrying a Bible, the Boise Police today arrested a suspect in the murder of 22-year-old Kay Lynn Jackson.  Patrick Jon Zacharias, 40, has been charged with 1st degree murder and rape in Jackson’s death. Police said the break in the case came when a DNA test conducted on Zacharias, who has been serving time at the Idaho State Correctional Institution since an unrelated conviction in 2007, was entered into a national crime information database and came up as a match.

Jackson was killed on the morning of Palm Sunday in 1998. “The lead detective, Mark Ayotte, has worked this case since Kay Lynn’s death,” Boise Deputy Police Chief Pete Ritter said at a news conference today. “His case files have stayed on his desk, never more than an arm’s length away. Detective Ayotte led a team that includes officers, investigators and support staff from Boise, all over Idaho and indeed all over the country. Their hard work has led to this critical point in a case that has touched so many lives for 15 years.” You can read the BPD’s full news release and statements here.

Jackson's murder was the first of three on the Greenbelt in which women were raped and murdered over a three-year period; it was the last of the three to remain unsolved. Darrell Payne received a death sentence for the July 2000 murder of BSU student Samantha Kay Maher, 22; and Erick Virgil Hall was sentenced to death for the September 2000 rape and murder of Lynn Henneman, a flight attendant who was walking from a restaurant to her hotel when she was killed.

Boise's city zoo will welcome two new female Patas monkeys within the next few seeks, the city announced today; they'll join the zoo's sole surviving Patas monkey, a male, who was left on his own after his cagemate was killed in a bizarre break-in at the zoo Nov. 17. The zoo is planning a new 1,500-square-foot exhibit for the monkeys, with indoor and outdoor living space and three large viewing windows for the public.

“As Boise has done so many times in the past, we are going to turn a tragedy into a positive new beginning,” said Mayor Dave Bieter, “and prove that no single event can dampen our spirit or discourage us from believing in Boise as a truly wonderful place to live.” The Friends of Zoo Boise, a volunteer group, has pledged to raise $209,000 for the new exhibit.

Prosecutors say 22-year-old Michael Jacob Watkins broke into the zoo to steal the monkey, and that he beat it to death with a tree branch after the monkey bit him. The Weiser resident is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Dec. 5. Click below for the full announcement from the city.
  

The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from convicted Idaho multiple murderer John Delling, challenging the lack of an insanity defense in Idaho. Idaho is one of four states that doesn't permit defendants to claim they're not guilty by reason of insanity. Three justices dissented; Justices Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor wanted to hear the case. Click below for a full report from the Associated Press.

The father of a 22-year-old man accused of killing a monkey after breaking into an Idaho zoo said he believes the tragedy was a drunken prank that got out of hand and “turned into a horrible situation,” the Idaho Statesman newspaper reports. Michael J. Watkins was arrested Monday and faces at least two felonies: burglary, for allegedly breaking into Zoo Boise; and grand theft, for allegedly taking the monkey and beating it so severely that it later died. His first court appearance is set for Wednesday. Watkins' father, Jerry Watkins, defended his son to the newspaper, saying he is “not a malicious monkey murderer;” click below for a full report from the AP and the Statesman.

Michael Watkins, 22, of Weiser, has been charged with two felonies, burglary and grand theft, in connection with the death of a Patas monkey at the Boise Zoo early Saturday morning. He was arrested this afternoon in Washington County, where he is currently in custody; click below for the full Boise Police Department news release.

“I know the community demands and deserves answers to the many questions that surround this senseless crime,” Boise Police Chief Mike Masterson said at a news conference this evening. “This case is long on emotions and short on facts, for the time being.” More information will come out during the court process to come, he said. “We obviously have more information than we are able to provide tonight. Our detectives have done an outstanding job.”

The arrest was made around 2 p.m. today, Masterson said, following up on a citizen tip received last night, and the suspect's seeking treatment at a local hospital where “the story did not seem to mesh with the injuries.”

Masterson said the second person sighted outside the zoo has been identified and contacted, but not charged. The suspect who was arrested had injuries to his upper torso, the chief said. A gray baseball cap that was recovered inside the zoo “was found to be the hat that the individual, the suspect that we arrested, had worn that evening,” Masterson said. He added, “These may not be the only two charges that this individual faces.”
  

Police have arrested one person in connection with the death of a monkey at Zoo Boise, the AP reports. Police spokeswoman Lynn Hightower said no other information was immediately available, but officers and a representative from Zoo Boise were expected to hold a press conference Monday evening. The Patas monkey was found dead of blunt force trauma to the head and neck early Saturday morning, shortly after a zoo security guard frightened away two male intruders. The death left zoo workers shocked and devastated, zoo director Steve Burns said, and prompted an organization called Crime Stoppers to offer an award of up to $1,000 for information leading to an arrest of the culprits. Click below for a full report from AP reporter Rebecca Boone.

Sad news surfaced over the weekend in Boise, with the news that intruders at the Boise Zoo had killed a beloved Patas monkey. The future of the monkey's cagemate, shown here, is uncertain, as the social primates don't like to be housed alone; the Boise zoo may get another, or may have to find a new home for the remaining monkey. The AP reports that police are following leads in the search for the two intruders, and that it's not yet clear whether the zoo break-in early Saturday morning was a prank that turned violent or something done with more sinister intent.

The monkey was found outside its exhibit, near the perimeter fence of the zoo, shortly after a security guard scared off two intruders; it had a head injury, and died shortly after. The zoo was closed for most of the day Saturday as police searched for evidence. You can read KTVB-TV's full report here, including a clue - police found a gray ballcap that may have been left by one of the intruders; and the Idaho Statesman's full report here; this AP photo of the remaining Patas monkey is by the Statesman's Katherine Jones. A $1,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest in the case.

UPDATE: Late this afternoon, Boise Police announced that they've made an arrest; they scheduled a press conference for 7 p.m. to release more information.

The Boise Police are planning to crack down on underage drinking around this Saturday's BSU home football game against Colorado State, including both underage consumption and adults who provide alcohol to people under age 21. In addition, the police will be patrolling for open-container violations on public streets and sidewalks, in city parks and within 250 feet of the river; parking violations; driving under the influence; and littering. “Officers want citizens to celebrate responsibly,” the BPD announced in a news release; you can read it here. “For public safety, Boise Police will be checking for illegal alcohol use in the campus area. Increases in people on neighborhood streets, parks and parking lots in the Broadway area on game days has resulted in increased complaints and concerns about illegal alcohol use and related problems like disorderly conduct, underage drinking, drunk driving, assaults, urinating in public, loud parties and littering.”
  

A woman who was about to be released from an Idaho prison is now in federal custody, for allegedly sending a threatening letter saying her prison sentence was coming to an end and the recipient should be prepared for his final moments, the AP reports. The letter included a drawing depicting a battered stick figure and such threating phrases as “No tears,” “No hiding” and “No more you.” Linda Joyce Lakes now faces a federal charge of mailing threatening communications, a felony; click below for a full report from AP reporter Rebecca Boone.

A Lewiston man apparently trying to get the most bang for his drug-purchasing buck mistakenly sent a text message to a narcotics detective while he searched for people to join him in a methamphetamine buy, the Associated Press reports; as a result, Aaron D. Templeton was arrested this week and charged with conspiracy to deliver methamphetamine. A police detective received a text Wednesday morning asking if he knew anyone looking for drugs, and after determining it wasn't his co-workers playing a joke, arranged to meet the man named Aaron the same day to deliver $150 that would be pooled with money from other buyers to enable a bulk purchase of meth, officials said. Click below for the full report from the AP and the Lewiston Tribune.

In odd crime news over the weekend, the Boise Police responded to a report of a burglary in progress at 3 a.m. Saturday, to find 27-year-old Boisean Anthony J. Marsh there, naked except for his shoes, standing next to a broken glass door in front of a business on South Shoshone Street, bleeding from cuts. The suspect was behaving erratically and wouldn't respond to officers' commands, and instead attempted to jump through the broken window. “At one point, officers were forced to deploy a taser to take the suspect into custody to avoid further injury,” the BPD reports. Replacement of the safety glass door was estimated to cost more than $1,000; the suspect was also determined to have broken into a nearby laundromat. He was booked on charges of malicious injury to property and resisting and obstructing an officer. No word on where his clothes were; perhaps being washed at the laundromat?

Here's a news item from the Associated Press: LEWISTON, Idaho (AP) ― Officers in northern Idaho didn't have much trouble resolving a stolen vehicle case after the missing car drove by while police were taking a report from the owner. The Lewiston Tribune reports (http://bit.ly/NN5beq ) Dianne E. Blazer of Lewiston noticed her 2003 Nissan Sentra had been stolen overnight and was talking with police at 9:30 a.m. Thursday when an officer noticed the car driving down the street. The officer ran after the vehicle and ordered the driver to stop. Chon E. Tackett of Coeur d'Alene told police he didn't remember how he got the vehicle and was trying to find a friend's house. Tackett, who is 30, was arrested for possession of a stolen vehicle and driving under the influence.

Here's an odd one from today's Boise Police crime report: A 27-year-old Boise man is facing extortion charges after he found a woman's lost phone over the weekend, then allegedly contacted her demanding payment or he'd sell it. The victim had lost her phone downtown on Saturday night; suspect Joshua G. Escoto allegedly contacted her last night about 11:30. The Boise Police reported, “After a detailed investigation, the suspect was arrested when the victim arranged to meet him to make the exchange.” In addition to theft by extortion, a felony, Escoto was booked into the Ada County Jail on an additional charge of carrying a concealed weapon without a license.

A 42-year-old homeless man has been charged with a federal crime of willful injury to government property, after he allegedly spray-painted “FU 1867 I'm not a terrorist” on windows on four different sides of the James A. McClure Federal Building and Courthouse in Boise on Jan. 2. Charles Arthur Stark, 42, was charged with a Class A misdemeanor and could face up to a year in prison, $100,000 in fines and restitution for the damage; his actions were captured on video and posted on YouTube. You can read the U.S. Attorney's full announcement here.

It's not even a full moon, but the Boise Police is reporting, among its usual list of overnight incidents, a case of “aggravated battery with a frying pan.” According to the police report, Daniel J. Lovely, 24, was arrested early this morning after police responded to a report of a fight between roommates, in which the victim told them the suspect “used a cast iron frying pan to strike him more than once in the head, breaking the handle of the frying pan.” The victim was taken to the hospital with a head laceration. Lovely was booked into jail, and “the frying pan was recovered from the home.”

Here’s a news item from the Associated Press: EMMETT, Idaho (AP) — A 3-year-old child was handling an Emmett Police Department officer’s weapon that discharged and injured three people on Aug. 6. The Idaho Statesman reports the agency has been accused of a cover-up in the incident, so Emmett Police Chief Steve Nebeker is now trying to eliminate some of the rumors. The incident occurred at the residence of Emmett Detective Sgt. Kim Judy. Three people, including the 3-year-old handling the gun, a 2-year-old and Judy’s roommate, Whysper Rowden, were injured. Judy took the three to a hospital, but didn’t immediately report the incident. Nebeker says Judy was probably thinking more about getting to the hospital than calling 9-1-1. The three are recovering. The Ada County prosecutor’s office is now considering possible charges. Nebeker also says there’s an internal investigation.

Here’s a news item from The Associated Press: BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Police say a 74-year-old Boise woman arrested after pouring mayonnaise in the Ada County library’s book drop box is a person of interest in a yearlong spree of condiment-related crimes of the same sort. Joy L. Cassidy was arrested Sunday at the library, moments after police say she pulled through the outside drive-through and dumped an open jar of mayonnaise in the box designated for reading materials. Cassidy has been released from the county jail and faces a misdemeanor charge of malicious injury to property. A motive was not disclosed by police. Boise police say Cassidy is under investigation for at least 10 similar cases of vandalism since May 2009. Library employees have reported finding books in the drop box covered in corn syrup and ketchup.

Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden testified before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law yesterday, and had an interesting story to tell about how Idaho has a stake in establishing a system in Mexico that relies on the rule of law. Wasden’s been active on the issue through a partnership of attorneys general that promotes cross-border law enforcement cooperation and is assisting the government of Mexico in reforming its court system; the Idaho Statesman’s Erika Bolstad covered the AG’s testimony and has a full story here. “There’s a parade of drugs that are coming north, and there’s a parade of guns and money that is going south,” Wasden said.

Here’s a news item from the Associated Press: FORT HALL, Idaho (AP) — The Shoshone-Bannock Tribes say a Wyoming man has escaped from the Fort Hall Jail for a second time in the past month, as a new jail sits empty. Tribal officials say Jerome Cerino of Lander, Wyo., and Joseph Deluna of Fort Hall, escaped from a holding cell through a crawl space early Tuesday. Tribal spokeswoman Laverne Beech says Cerino was one of six inmates who escaped from the Fort Hall jail on April 17. They escaped from a different cell, but used the same crawl space to access an emergency exit. That escape happened five days before inmates were to be moved into a new jail. However, the Bureau of Indian Affairs is requiring that all correction officers attend a six-week training course in New Mexico before the inmates are moved. Eight officers from Fort Hall are currently attending the training.