Jefferson County’s longest-serving sheriff looks back on 40-year career in law enforcement
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Editor’s note: This is the third in a series of stories about former sheriffs in eastern Idaho.
IDAHO FALLS — Dressed in a blue button-up shirt, Ariat vest, Wrangler jeans and boots, Blair Olsen’s attire is reminiscent of John Dutton, Kevin Costner’s character in the series, “Yellowstone.”
Like Dutton, Olsen owns a ranch that’s been in the family for generations. It’s a homestead in Menan originally owned by his grandparents. Here, he and his wife, Marie, raised a family and a herd of Black Angus cattle.
The 66-year-old man is also Jefferson County’s longest-serving sheriff. He was in office for 27 years from 1988 until 2015.
With cowboy hat in hand, Olsen reflects on a career in law enforcement spanning four decades. As the conversation gets underway, he uses a phrase befitting his image that was the title of a popular western film.
“There was a lot that happened over the years. We always talk about ‘the good, the bad and the ugly,'” Olsen tells EastIdahoNews.com.
Though there are unpleasant parts of working in law enforcement, it was a profession Olsen enjoyed and there are certain aspects of it that he misses.
For him, it’s hard to pinpoint one particular thing that defines his career, but if he had to narrow it down, there is one thing he considers his greatest accomplishment as sheriff. It was a case that began early in his law enforcement career and wrapped up years later when he was serving as sheriff.
“There was a homicide just before I started in the sheriff’s office in the Osgood area (in 1975),” Olsen explains. “Two Mexican citizens had a knife fight. One was killed and the other one escaped.”
Olsen was a deputy at the time and was never able to find him. Twenty-four years later, Olsen got a call from the Cassia County Sheriff’s Office inquiring about a warrant for a man who used to live in Jefferson County. Somehow, the same man involved in the knife fight had come up on Cassia County’s radar. Olsen sent Cassia County a copy of the warrant they had on file for him.
Police reports were not as detailed in 1975, Olsen says, and there was “very little evidence” connecting this man to the homicide. Many of the officials and witnesses involved in the original case had passed away or were no longer in the area.
Olsen re-opened the investigation, and in May of 2000, Olsen was notified the suspect and his family were in Boise trying to renew their visas. Authorities detained them until Olsen and his deputies arrived.
“We ended up successfully prosecuting that guy and convicting him after all those years. I consider that a major accomplishment,” says Olsen.
Early years in law enforcement
Olsen’s interest in law enforcement stems back to his childhood. He says it was always something he wanted to do. In high school, he had some friends who worked for the sheriff’s office and the police department.
After graduating from Rigby High School, Olsen says the city was putting together an officer reserve program.
“I found it interesting and I was of age, so I (joined) the department,” he says.
The Teton Dam Flood in 1976 stands out as a major event early in his career. He remembers being on-duty as a “wall of water” washed out homes and property in the Menan area.
The following year, Olsen was hired to work as a deputy under Sheriff Joe Potter. Olsen’s most prominent memory during this time is a high-speed chase that began with a bank robbery in Mud Lake.
“A man from back east was traveling through this small town and tried to take advantage of it. He got away with over $80,000,” Olsen recalls.
Olsen remembers traveling at 135 mph on Interstate 15 through Sage Junction to catch up with then Clark County Sheriff Earl Holden, who was in pursuit of the suspect near Humphrey.
Authorities set up roadblocks at the Idaho-Montana state line and in other areas. The suspect circled back towards Dubois. Meanwhile, Olsen and his deputies took another route to try and cut him off. Olsen fired his gun at the suspect’s vehicle once they got close enough to him. Holden, who was unknowingly headed towards the suspect from the opposite direction, hit him head-on at 80 mph near Stoddard Creek. The sheriff’s vehicle was upside down and the suspect’s vehicle stopped sideways in the middle of the road.
“The suspect pulled a shotgun on us and we had to shoot him,” Olsen says.
The money was returned to the bank.
Olsen became chief deputy to Garth Gunderson in the early 1980s, and it was Gunderson that encouraged him to run for sheriff.
Olsen was honored that voters elected him, and he took his responsibility seriously. Following the example of Howard Shaffer, a previous sheriff, Olsen focused on listening to the concerns of the community. Those interactions were some of the most rewarding aspects of his career over the years.
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“I had people come to me about anything from child custody issues to … neighborhood disputes, theft and drugs,” says Olsen. “There were many times when we got done talking, I didn’t have an answer, but they seemed to feel better.”
Olsen’s memories as sheriff
Early on in his time as sheriff, Olsen remembers searching for a missing three-year-old boy in Roberts.
“The area around the house was full of grain fields. The railroad tracks were just across the road and the river was about a quarter of a mile away. There was a big canal next to the house,” Olsen recalls.
After searching through the night, Olsen saw a dog walking across the grain field and onto the road. Search crews went to the area the dog had come from and they found the boy sitting next to a tree about 100 yards from the river.
“He was cold and hungry,” Olsen says. “He told us he was following the dog … and they ended up around these trees. He must’ve (got turned around in that grain field and lost his sense of direction). He said somebody told him to sit down by that tree and that dog stayed with him. I know there was an angel that watched over this kid and his family.”
But not every situation Olsen dealt with as sheriff had a happy ending.
Olsen recalls a case in the 1990s that rocked the entire community. In November 1995, three teenage boys skipped school and robbed a convenience store in Grant near County Line Road. One of the boys ended up shooting and killing the woman who owned the store.
News reports at the time identify the boys as Christopher Shanahan, Thomas Lundquist and B.J. Jenkins. Fidela Tomchak is the woman who was killed.
The boys were later caught and arrested near Brigham City, Utah.
All three of the boys were charged as adults, and went to prison with sentences ranging from 15-30 years.
The fact that it was a violent crime made it a high-profile case, and Olsen says it was particularly tragic because the boys came from well-respected families in the community.
“It was an ugly situation because of all the emotion and … the ripple effect it had on the families (who were impacted) and the community,” he says with tears. “An innocent woman lost her life senselessly … and you’re trying to do the right thing for the victim, but yet, you’re dealing with kids. There were some heated moments, a lot of concern. It was very emotional, and it was one tough ordeal.”
Two of the boys, now grown men, have since been released from prison. Olsen ran into one of them several years ago at a restaurant in Rigby. The man thanked Olsen for how he treated him during that time, and Olsen is gratified to learn that he, and the other man who was involved, are now trying to rebuild their lives.
Olsen’s court battle and his advice for those in uniform
In 2015, Olsen ended up facing his own court battle. As sheriff, Olsen had two county-funded cell phones and a clerk accused him of using one of them for personal matters. A jury convicted him on three counts of misuse of public funds, but the Idaho Supreme Court later ordered a lower court to vacate the other two counts.
Olsen was sentenced to 15 days in jail, 120 hours of community service and three years of probation, which forced him out of office.
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Olsen prefers not to discuss the details of his case, but he did provide some perspective on the Supreme Court’s ruling.
“There were three words that put peace to my mind. That was the phrase that this was ‘excessive and unnecessary.’ Once that came out, I put it all behind me,” he says.
Olsen is grateful for those who have supported him over the years. He’s proud to have served his county for four decades.
Today, he spends most of his time on the ranch with his family. He also has a part-time job with his friend in the livestock supply business and he manages security and the loss prevention department at Broulim’s corporate office in Rigby.
Olsen offers some advice to the men and women in uniform who serve their counties and cities.
“Don’t lose focus of what you stand for. Stay true to … the people you work for and you’ll have a good career,” he says.
RELATED LINKS:
Jefferson County’s beginnings and why its first sheriff was ‘widely known and highly respected’
How Bonneville County got its name and the early lawmen who protected its citizens