Idaho Falls man gets 15 years in prison for firing at police during high-speed chase
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POCATELLO — A man who was found guilty of two felonies has been sentenced to a minimum of 15 years in prison.
Talon Scott Cavanaugh, 28, received 565 days of time served toward a sentence of 15 to 35 years in prison during a hearing last week, according to court records. This after he was found guilty of felony charges for aggravated assault and attempting to elude police officers, along with a persistent violator enhancement.
RELATED | Court documents detail tense high speed chase and shooting
Cavanaugh was wanted in connection with a Feb. 9, 2021 shooting in Ammon.
An officer with the Chubbuck Police Department identified a vehicle Cavanaugh had been seen driving around 4 p.m. on Feb. 11. When the officer attempted to make a traffic stop, Cavanaugh continued driving at the legal speed.
He then leaned out the driver’s side window of the vehicle and fired several shots from a handgun at the officer. The officer swerved away from the gunshots while ducking behind the engine block of their cruiser for cover.
While the officer was ducked down and calling for assistance, Cavanaugh sped away, according to police reports. He reached speeds up to 115 mph on Hiline Road before getting to U.S. Highway 91 and increasing his speed to 125.
After a lengthy police chase, Cavanaugh’s vehicle eventually became disabled in a sage field in Fort Hall.
Officers from the Chubbuck and Fort Hall police departments searched the area, finding Cavanaugh hiding in sagebrush. He was administered Narcan to combat the effects of the drugs he had ingested in an attempt to conceal them.
His original charges included a felony for destruction of evidence, but that charge was dismissed.
A jury found him guilty of aggravated assault on an officer and attempting to elude an officer. He was also found guilty of enhancements for being a persistent violator and using a deadly weapon in the commission of a crime.
When he is released from prison, District Judge Javier Gabiola has ordered Cavanaugh’s driver’s license be suspended for three years. Cavanaugh has also been ordered to pay $3,241 in fees and fines.