Bingham County Sgt. escorted home from hospital
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IDAHO FALLS — An injured Bingham County Sgt. was escorted home from Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center Monday afternoon by multiple law enforcement agencies after being shot and injured while on duty.
“We just thought it would be a nice thing for him,” Bingham County Sheriff Craig Rowland tells EastIdahoNews.com.
Sgt. Todd Howell was shot by Juan Santos-Quintero while responding to a call in Firth on Friday. The bullet penetrated the left side of Howell’s body and entered his bullet-proof body armor. It was reported that he was stable and in “good spirits” on Saturday.
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The procession began on Channing Way near EIRMC and proceeded west down Sunnyside Road. It then headed south on U.S. Highway 91 toward Bingham County.
Rowland says there isn’t an estimated time as to when Howell will return to work, but he says the more Howell rests the faster he will recover.
“I do appreciate everybody wanting to go see him and talk to him and all that, but at the same time once he gets home he just needs to rest, and we’ll take care of him,” Rowland says.
Detectives at the Sheriff’s office organized the event and expressed sentiments about Howell.
“He’s a great officer. He’s a great Sgt. He does a good job so we can’t wait for him to get back,” Bingham County Detective Kathy Hall says.
Hall says knowing Howell, he’ll be anxious to head back to the Sheriff’s office as soon as possible.
The Bingham County Sheriff’s Office is grateful for all of the assistance they’ve received from many agencies during their time of need.
Rowland expressed gratitude for all of the officers that helped “get this guy off the street,” referring to Santos-Quintero.
Santos-Quintero has an extensive criminal history including multiple drug charges in multiple counties. Official charges have not been filed by the Bingham County Prosecutor as an investigation is still being conducted according to Rowland.
“We still have that investigation on the backside that we have to get through first,” Rowland says.