Hearing date set for Rowland arraignment in district court
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BLACKFOOT — A district court arraignment hearing date has been set for the sheriff accused of threatening a Latter-day Saint youth group with a gun.
Sheriff Craig Thomas Rowland, 62, will be arraigned into district court at a hearing on March 31. Going forward, the case will be handled by 6th District Judge Stephen Dunn.
Rowland is accused of pointing a handgun at a car containing a group of girls, aged 11 to 15, and a woman who was the leader of their Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints youth group. Rowland allegedly pulled the woman out of the driver’s seat by the hair and, holding his gun to her head, threatened to shoot.
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At a March 2 preliminary hearing, Fremont County Magistrate Judge Faren Eddins determined that the prosecution’s case against Rowland carries probable cause for advancement to district court.
During that hearing, the prosecution team — led by Idaho Deputy Attorney General Jeff Nye — showed the court a series of videos recorded by a Ring doorbell camera at the Rowland home.
Though the videos did not show the incident, it did show a group of teenage and pre-teen girls approaching the door, then leaving. A second short clip showed the girls return a short time later and place a “thankful turkey” on the outer, storm door. That clip also showed Rowland open the door from inside, respond to the turkey with, “Thank you, that’s bulls****. Get my gun.”
The final clip showed Rowland return to the door, with his gun still in his hand, following the incident.
Nye also had the youth group’s leader, an adult who claimed to have known Rowland her entire life, testify in the preliminary hearing.
Rowland’s defense attorney, Justin Olesen, argued over the jurisdiction of the Idaho Attorney General’s Office in Bingham County. He also seemed to be setting up a defense of self-defense and duty of defending the community, according to Nye.
At the arraignment hearing, Rowland will again be asked for a guilty or not-guilty plea, this time by Dunn, at the district court level. If Rowland pleads not guilty, a jury trial date will be set.