Two arrested for allegedly trying to traffic drugs in elementary school parking lot
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IDAHO FALLS – Two men were arrested after police reportedly found them trying to traffic drugs in a local elementary school parking lot.
Ryler Kenneth Jensen was charged with felony drug trafficking methamphetamine or amphetamine and misdemeanor use or possession with intent to use drug paraphernalia.
Joshua Burnside was charged with felony possession of a controlled substance and misdemeanor use or possession with intent to use drug paraphernalia.
According to court documents, on July 6, around 10:50 p.m., multiple detectives were surveilling a home on the 200 block of Placer Avenue.
A sergeant with the Idaho Falls Police Department had obtained a search warrant for the home due to suspected drug sales by a man who lived at the home, identified as Burnside.
A detective eventually noticed a man, later identified as Jensen, walking to the home from Pine Street and stopping in front of the house. Burnside was not seen leaving the home, but his vehicle, a tan GMC Envoy with no license plate, picked up Jensen from the front of the home.
The GMC then left the area and parked in the Hawthorne Elementary School parking lot. The car turned its headlights off but kept running.
Burnside and Jensen were sitting in the car when the sergeant arrived at the scene and approached the GMC. Jensen reportedly told the sergeant that Burnside was giving him a ride to an electric Bird scooter in the area. Officers were not able to find a bird scooter in the area.
According to police reports, officers knew that “Burnside has a long drug history” and say the actions of driving to the parking lot were “consistent with a drug sale.”
Another officer arrived and detained Jensen. During a search of him and his property, the officer reportedly found “a large amount of suspected methamphetamine, baggies, (a) scale, and syringes” in Jensen’s backpack.
The drugs later tested positive for methamphetamine and weighed 212 grams. Jensen and Burnside were both arrested and booked into the Bonneville County Jail.
Jensen was booked on a bail of $50,000, and Burnside was booked on a bail of $20,000.
Both are expected to appear for their preliminary hearings on July 19. If convicted, Jensen could face up to life in prison, and Burnside could face up to 8 years in prison.
Though Jensen and Burnside have been charged with these crimes, it does not necessarily mean they committed them. Everyone is presumed innocent until they are proven guilty.