Pocatello man tased, arrested inside of LDS church
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POCATELLO — A man was tased and arrested after he refused to leave a church in Pocatello Wednesday.
Lamar Richard Williams, 30, faces a misdemeanor charge for resisting arrest and a felony possession of a controlled substance charge, according to an affidavit of probable cause.
Officers from the Pocatello Police Department were dispatched to Caldwell Park for a welfare check after calls were received regarding a man in the park screaming for help.
The officers were unable to locate the man but a member at a nearby Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints building requested police to help remove a man from the church who did not belong there.
He was identified as Williams, who had an active warrant for failing to appear in court regarding an Oct. 6, 2020 battery charge.
When officers attempted to handcuff Williams, he allegedly pulled away and grabbed a couch in the church, according to police reports. Officers were finally able to subdue Williams, using a taser according to the Idaho State Journal.
During a physical search, officers found two small baggies containing a crystalline substance in his pants pocket, the affidavit says. Using a Mobile Detect test kit, officers tested the substance, which returned a presumptive positive for methamphetamine.
If he is found guilty, Williams could face up to seven years in prison and $15,000 in fines for the felony.
He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on May 27.