Deputy remains on leave five months after crash that killed 80-year-old man
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BINGHAM COUNTY — It has been at least five months since an 80-year-old man died in a crash involving a deputy.
Many inquiries have been sent to EastIdahoNews.com asking about the status of the case.
The two-vehicle crash happened on Feb. 1 near Goshen, according to Idaho State Police. A patrol vehicle driven by a 38-year-old female deputy from the Bingham County Sheriff’s Office drifted across the middle of the road and collided with a vehicle driven by Robert Beal of Shelley.
Beal died as a result of injuries suffered in the crash.
EastIdahoNews.com sent a public records request to ISP, who handled the initial investigation. We asked for any conclusions drawn by investigators.
The request was ultimately denied “due to a pending court case related to this incident.”
The case has now been handed over to the Madison County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for review, according to prosecutor Rob Wood. He could not comment on the timeline for the review.
So far, the identity of the involved deputy has not been released by the Bingham County Sheriff’s Office or any other investigative agency. The sheriff’s office did confirm the deputy remains on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
The following statement was provided by the Bingham County Sheriff’s Office on Monday:
“We would like to thank the Idaho State Police for their assistance in this matter. We ask the public to understand that in scenarios such as this, the only way to proceed is with an outside entity doing the investigation. This ensures that it is impartial and complete. Though it can be a lengthy process, one can rely on the facts of the case being objective.
With employment practices law being a major source of liability for law-enforcement agencies nationwide, comes the need to not make decisions, speculate, or divulge information until any applicable 3rd party and/or internal investigations are completed. This is where paid administrative leave is a tool used to allow for that process to take place in its entirety. We do have information that we are nearing the end of the process. Our hearts go out to the Beal Family. They have handled this tragic loss with the utmost grace and strength.”
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Background information
According to previous reporting by EastIdahoNews.com, the fatal crash happened after 1 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 1, on 600 North between Reid Road and 1100 East (Mountain View Road) south of Goshen.
Investigators believe the patrol vehicle, a marked Ford SUV driven by the female deputy, was traveling westbound on 600 North when it drifted across the middle of the road and went into the eastbound lane. It collided with an eastbound 2002 Dodge Ram 2500, a news release from ISP said.
Following the crash, both vehicles came to a stop off the roadway. All occupants were trapped in their vehicles and were extricated by medical personnel.
The driver of the Ram, identified as Beal, died at the scene. His passenger, a 76-year-old woman, was transported by ground ambulance to a local hospital with serious injuries.
The deputy was transported by ground ambulance to a hospital with critical injuries.
It’s unclear how long either the passenger or the deputy took to recover from the crash.
The Bingham County Sheriff’s Office requested Idaho State Police investigate the crash, because it involved one of their own deputies. ISP said the deputy had approximately nine years of patrol experience.