Update: Idaho murder suspect who ‘walked away’ from IDOC facility is back in custody
Update: The Idaho Department of Correction said at about 10 p.m. Friday that Kevin Kuintzle was found and arrested without incident by the Pocatello Police Department and Idaho State Police in Pocatello.
The original story is below:
Kevin Nicholas Kuintzle, who is suspected of killing an 84-year-old Jerome man, escaped Idaho Department of Correction custody on Thursday night. He has been convicted of crimes in the Treasure Valley in recent years.
Kuintzle “walked away” from the Idaho Department of Correction St. Anthony Work Camp in Eastern Idaho, according to the agency.
Kuintzle, 33, was last seen at the minimum-security facility at around 8 p.m. Thursday. The Twin Falls resident is 5-foot-11, weighs about 180 pounds, has blue eyes and is bald, according to IDOC.
Fremont County Sheriff’s Office personnel said they “have reason to believe” Kuintzle is driving a silver and green single-cab 1995 Dodge pickup with missing paint. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call 911 or the Fremont County Dispatch at 208-624-4482. No one should approach him, the Sheriff’s Office said.
The Idaho Falls Police Department announced just before 2:30 p.m. Friday that Kuintzle had been spotted and said in a news release that he was involved in an attempted carjacking and theft earlier in the day. Kuintzle “is considered armed and dangerous and should not be approached,” Idaho Falls police said.
Jessica Clements, a spokesperson for the police department, told the Idaho Statesman in an email that the vehicle Kuintzle allegedly attempted to steal wasn’t the Dodge pickup but a different vehicle.
He was last seen wearing a white long-sleeve shirt, khaki pants and could be wearing a black coat, according to the Idaho Falls release.
In September 2023, Kuintzle was charged with first-degree murder in the killing of William Eakin, according to KTVB. The news outlet reported that Eakin was found in his bed with a gunshot wound behind his ear.
Someone facing criminal charges, especially something as serious as murder, typically would be housed in the county jail where the alleged crime occurred. It’s unclear why Kuintzle — also recently accused of battery against a jailer — was placed at the 400-bed facility meant for men who are working and are typically considered low-risk offenders.
He was booked into the Jerome County Jail following his arrest, before being transferred to the IDOC facility.
The Statesman reached out to the state’s prison system for additional information.
Kuintzle was on parole for a 2018 grand theft conviction in Ada County and a 2021 crime of operating a vehicle without an owner’s consent in Canyon County, online court and prison records showed. He still has another five years of prison or parole time to complete on those charges.
This story was originally published December 6, 2024 at 2:59 PM.
