Dude, where’s my Starbucks? Confused tourists helped by law enforcement

REXBURG — The Madison County Sheriff’s office and the Rexburg Police Department have been working on plans for months to make sure that they are prepared for the huge influx of visitor to Madison County. On Monday alone, there have been about 45 officers working between the two agencies. And some of the people they’ve met have been … confused.

Worried about having a hard time getting to emergencies because of crowded roads, both agencies set up command centers at various locations in the area. Detective Moroni Burton from MCSO has been stationed on Forest Service Road 218 to provide improved response times for patrol and search and rescue services to the people recreating in the backcountry.

“We have given out several warnings for campfires and assisted the Forest Service with camp checks,” Burton said.

But they have also dealt with a few incidents that they don’t normally see.

Deputies found a driver who had gotten lost driving around in the forest. The mapping system in the car was trying to guide them to Driggs and had sent them on the back roads through the mountains. The deputy gave them better directions and sent them on their way.

“We got a van turned around that was driving on a four-wheeler trail BEFORE they got stuck. They had made it almost to Fish Creek,” Burton said. “They were just looking for a Starbucks.”