Knocking on doors: How police find fugitives

TWIN FALLS, Idaho – When police officers at the Kimberly-Hansen Police Department have some free time, it’s not uncommon for them to knock on a few doors of the last known addresses of people who have active warrants against them.

Police Chief Jeff Perry admits that the probability of success isn’t great, as a high percentage of the individuals being sought no longer live there, but the intent is to do what they can to chip away at the lengthy warrant list.

But that is just one tool law enforcement officers have to bring those on the lam back into custody. Besides knocking on doors, tracking down people who have active warrants following up on tips, and, if law enforcement officers are fortunate enough, people will turn themselves in on their own.

In addition, numerous routine traffic stops have uncovered people who have been trying to evade arrest warrants.

‘Most wanted’ mugshots

The Twin Falls Sheriff’s Office has seen great success by putting out a “most wanted” mugshot each week that is routinely printed in the Times-News and shown on television.

Lori Stewart, sheriff’s office spokesperson, estimates that about 75% of the people are brought back in custody.

“I don’t know whether people are turning them in, if they turn themselves in, or how the results come to be,” Stewart said. “I just know it seems to work.”

From May 26 to June 30, four of the five “most wanted” individuals were taken back into custody, including Charles Jack Hansen, 64, on a charge of unlawful possession of a destructive device, to Michael Anthony Shipley, 34, suspected of lewd conduct. Only Arley Monterrosa, 36, charged with sexual battery, remains at large.

Looking at the list

Sgt. Kevin Loosli of the Twin Falls Police Department has done his part of looking for people who have active warrants. As part of the special investigations unit, he said the most recent warrants get the most attention.

“I would print out the last two weeks of warrants,” Loosli said. “That’s what I would typically focus on because it was fresh intelligence.”

Often, there would be leads from the Crime Stoppers tip line that can lead to the apprehension of somebody with an arrest warrant.

Monitoring video telephone calls made to inmates has also reaped dividends. Twice, Loosli recalls, people an officer recognized were nabbed in mid-conversation while they spoke to inmates – one was in a public space and the other from a motel room.

Turning themselves in

The Twin Falls County warrant list dropped by one on July 6 when a woman turned herself in on a case from February 2020.

Alicha Nichole Rogers, 34, from Portland, was charged with prostitution and marijuana possession following a police sting and posted a bond of $300 on each charge, court records say. She failed to show up for a court hearing in October 2020 and a bench warrant was issued.

She told Magistrate Judge Thomas Kershaw that she had been in regular contact with prosecutors, and the reason she failed to show up for the court hearing was because the court documents were sent to an incorrect address.

Rogers, who said she was trying to obtain her real estate license, said she didn’t have money to post the bond which had since been raised to $10,000. A relative said he would pay the cost of her bus ride back to Oregon, she said.

Kershaw viewed Roger’s story with suspicion and asked why it took so long to appear.

In the end, Kershaw agreed to release her from jail, noting the charges against her were “relatively minor.”

“Thank you for your trust,” Rogers said, vowing to get her legal matters settled. She has a pre-trial conference set on Aug. 8.

Kershaw noted it wasn’t the first time he has released someone from jail without having to post a bond.

“Sometimes I’ve regretted it,” he said.

Fake identities

Routine traffic stops often yield people wanted on warrants, but it sometimes involves unscrambling information told to them by people in the vehicle.

Often the person will say he doesn’t have his driver’s license with him and give a fake name, or the name of a relative, Twin Falls Sheriff’s Lt. Aaron Koopmans. But with some digging and looking at driver’s license photos on file, officers can uncover the person’s real identity.

Loosli said some people will admit they have the warrant, accompanied by a reason they didn’t come to a court hearing.

The Twin Falls Sheriff’s Office, due to limited resources, doesn’t have a team specifically designated to track down people with warrants, Koopmans said.