Kyle Alan Batt, 27, of Caldwell, was booked into the Ada County Jail after being taken into custody about 10 a.m. Friday at a Boise medical center, where he had just completed physical rehabilitation.
A complaint unsealed in U.S. District Court in Boise charges Batt with being a felon in possession of a firearm. Police say they found a semiautomatic pistol on Batt when he was tracked down hiding in a garage in Caldwell on Oct. 24, hours after the shooting of deputies Brad Childers and Mike Roth.
Batt has not been charged in the deputies’ shooting because Canyon County prosecutors are awaiting the conclusions of a Nampa Police Department investigation. But a federal judge found probable cause for the gun charge at the request of the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms and Tobacco.
Christopher Atwood, a special assistant U.S. attorney hired to address gang crimes, is prosecuting the case. Atwood declined to comment Friday.
The Anti-Defamation League has identified Batt as a white supremacist with ties to local hate groups, including Hammerskin Nation.
Batt’s older brother, Ryan Batt, told the Statesman last week that his brother doesn’t belong to any groups and has long regretted the “white power” tattoo he got on his chest in prison several years ago.
Kyle Batt, who is being held without bail, has a felony conviction from 2004 for possession of a controlled substance, which prohibits him from possessing firearms. He faces up to 10 years in prison and three years of probation if convicted on the gun charge. His preliminary hearing is set for Dec. 3 at the federal courthouse in Boise.
Childers and Roth were among five deputies looking for Batt at his father’s home in the 24000 block of Sheryl Lane in Caldwell on the night of the shooting.
Caldwell police had been looking for Batt since his ex-girlfriend, Shaylynn Stelly, and her father, Guy Stelly, told them that Batt had brandished a gun while arguing with her about 5 p.m. at 111 Cleveland Boulevard in Caldwell, according to a complaint unsealed Friday.
Shaylynn Stelly told police that she saw a black gun in Batt’s Dodge truck as he was driving her home, and that he got out of the truck with the gun when they arrived. Guy Stelly told police that he saw the gun in Batt’s right hand. His daughter called 911.
Canyon County sheriff’s Sgt. Paul Maund spotted the truck in the driveway of the Sheryl Lane home about 10:46 p.m, so Roth and Childers knocked on the front door. A person emerged from the side of the home, and Roth and Childers identified themselves as police officers. The man fled and the deputies chased before they say he opened fire.
Deputies tracked Batt to a property at 15818 Richway in Caldwell, where they spotted him under a blanket near a space heater in a garage. He shot himself in the head as they approached, according to federal court documents. Deputies recovered a handgun from the garage and say it had an obliterated serial number.
Deputies believe that Batt had been trying to treat a gunshot wound to his leg before they found him.
Childers, a K-9 handler and SWAT team member, was treated and released from a hospital that day and has returned to patrol. Roth was shot twice in one arm and is recovering at home.
Childers returned fire, striking Batt at least once, police say. Batt fired shots into Roth’s chest as he ran by, police say, but a bulletproof vest saved the deputy’s life.
Childers and Roth were honored last Saturday with footballs autographed by Boise State coach Chris Petersen.
The Anti-Defamation League describes the shootings as the latest in a string of nearly 30 between police and domestic extremists since 2009. Ryan Batt told the Statesman that his brother does not hate government officials and was simply drunk and distraught about the fight with his ex-girlfriend when the deputies approached.
Meghann M. Cuniff: 377-6418
