Pocatello man gets rider for crime spree spanning seven months
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POCATELLO — A man arrested five times and charged with eight felonies over the past seven months has been sent on a rider.
Kyler Steven Nichols, 22, pleaded guilty to delivery of a controlled substance and destruction of evidence as parts of two separate plea agreements with the Bannock County Prosecutor’s Office.
In exchange, five additional felonies — including aggravated battery — and two misdemeanors were dismissed. Another felony charge of aggravated battery and misdemeanor charge of malicious injury to property were dismissed without prejudice at a preliminary hearing before the agreement was reached.
Nichols was sent on a rider with an underlying prison sentence of three to six years by District Judge Javier Gabiola at a hearing last week, court records show.
A rider program is where a judge sends a person to prison for up to a year to undergo different treatment programs. When the inmate has completed the program, the judge can then decide to send them back to prison or release them on probation.
Among Nichols’ 2022 arrests was a July incident in which he was accused of kicking in the driver’s side car window of another man. The victim suffered injuries, including glass stuck in his arm, leg and neck. Nichols was charged with felony aggravated battery and misdemeanor malicious injury to property.
Most recently, he was arrested and charged in January after police found him in possession of fentanyl and amphetamine. Nichols was charged with two counts of possession of a controlled substance and a felony for destruction of evidence as well as a misdemeanor for possession of drug paraphernalia.
Nichols reached a plea agreement with the Bannock County Prosecutor’s Office before the January charges were filed. As part of that agreement, he pleaded guilty to delivery of a controlled substance, stemming from a June arrest.
Felonies for aggravated battery and possession of a stolen bank card and a misdemeanor malicious injury to the property were dismissed as part of that agreement.
In addition to the rider, he was ordered to pay $785.50 in fees and fines.
As part of the agreement regarding the January arrest, the prosecution agreed to not re-file the charges dismissed as part of the plea agreement.
Per that agreement, he has pleaded guilty to destruction of evidence. Two felony possession charges and a misdemeanor for paraphernalia were dismissed, and Nichols has agreed to pay restitution for all charges — the amount of which has yet to be determined.
For those charges, he was ordered to pay an additional $1,495.50 in fees and fines.