Sheriff’s deputies won’t face charges in the fatal shooting of rancher

Two sheriff’s deputies won’t face criminal charges in the death of a 62-year-old rancher, the Idaho Attorney General’s Office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced Friday.

“There is no other way to describe what happened that day as anything but tragic and unfortunate for the Yantis family and the entire community,” Attorney General Lawrence Wasden said. “It is my hope that in the weeks and months ahead, the community can heal and rebuild trust.”

Jack Yantis was shot to death on a highway in front of his Adams County ranch on Nov. 1 — a shocking turn of events following a crash involving a car and livestock on the road that night.

Called to the scene by first-responders to deal with an injured bull, Yantis was shot by sheriff’s deputies at some point after he walked down his driveway.

“This (was) a catastrophic five minutes,” Wasden said Friday.

Wasden and his staff reviewed 5,300 pages of reports, lab results, witness statements and other materials concerning the shooting by Adams County Deputies Brian Wood and Cody Roland. There was not sufficient evidence to support filing criminal charges, he said, in a case that “presented certain legal and ethical challenges.”

Both deputies said Yantis pointed his rifle toward Roland and fired. Both deputies returned fire, striking Yantis 12 times, according to the Attorney General’s Office. He was struck once in the chest, eight times in his upper extremities and three times to the abdomen.

The wound to the chest, from a .223-caliber Remington semi-automatic rifle fired by Wood, was fatal, the report said. The round

The bull, which Roland told dispatchers was “getting more agitated,” was struck at least six times from gunshots.

Wasden said it was unclear who shot first.

“We do not know who fired initially. Anyone could have fired first. We honestly don’t know the answer to that question,” Wasden said during a press conference Friday morning.

Wood fired 16 shots. Roland, armed with a .45-caliber Glock handgun, fired four times.

Investigators also found a .20-caliber round at the scene and Yantis’ .204-caliber rifle had an empty shell casing in the chamber. An FBI ballistics expert who tested the .20-caliber round could not conclusively establish that the bullet came from Yantis’ rifle. Blood on the round was tested and found to be that of Yantis, the report said.

Yantis, the report said, had a blood alcohol level of .104 percent. A level of .08 percent is considered intoxicated for motorists in Idaho, but Wasden said “there’s nothing illegal about that in terms of being at his house.”

Both deputies tested negative for drugs and alcohol.

Wasden said at the press conference that his office was “ethically bound not to file charges.” He said there was not enough evidence to be able to prove guilt beyond a shadow of a doubt.

“I’m not saying the actions by the deputies were justifiable nor that they were not justifiable,” Wasden said.

Wasden released to the public the investigative file compiled by the Idaho State Police and prosecutors in the Attorney General’s Criminal Division, as well as letters sent Friday to the Adams County Prosecutor and attorneys for the Yantis family. The documents are available for viewing online.

Through information provided by their attorneys, wife Donna Yantis and her nephew, Rowdy Paradis, told the Statesman they saw the shooting and believe it was unjustified. Donna, who said she was thrown to the ground and handcuffed, suffered a heart attack soon after. She was hospitalized for a while.

An attorney for the deputies said the family’s account is “not accurate in numerous material respects,” and the initial report from Idaho State Police said all three men fired their weapons.

The deputies involved — Brian Wood and Cody Roland — have been on paid leave since the incident, and they are both still living in the area, said Sheriff Ryan Zollman. The sheriff wanted to bring them back to work at the small department while the investigation proceeded, but the county’s insurer advised against it.

Law enforcement officers in Idaho have shot and killed at least 54 people in the line of duty in the past 15 years. Officers were cleared in 50 of those deaths; four remain under investigation.

Both state and federal law enforcement officials investigated the circumstances surrounding Yantis’ death. On March 10, about four months after the shooting, the Idaho State Police turned its report over to the Idaho Attorney General’s Office to review for possible charges.

Critics among the public questioned the length of the investigation, and occasional protests and rallies continued into May.

As part of their investigation into the incident, ISP officials said they interviewed more than 40 people, examined physical evidence and reviewed forensic lab reports.

A crash in open range

Yantis’ fatal encounter with deputies occurred in the hour following the 6:45 p.m. car-versus-bull crash on Nov. 1. The bull was hit about 6 miles north of Council, a town of about 800 that’s a two-hour drive north of Boise.

The area where the crash occurred is open range, where cattle may roam freely.

A Subaru traveling south on the highway struck Yantis’ bull. The two occupants of the vehicle were taken by air ambulance to a Boise hospital. Nampa newlyweds Jack and Doris Garner suffered critical injuries but were back home in Nampa by Thanksgiving.

Yantis was summoned down to the highway by an emergency dispatcher to take care of his injured bull. What transpired after he arrived is disputed.

Donna Yantis and Rowdy Paradis said Jack Yantis was aiming his rifle at the back of the bull’s head when one of the deputies grabbed him from behind, swung him around and the other deputy opened fire.

The prosecutors’ decision not to file charges does not prohibit the family from suing.

In April, the Yantis family filed a tort claim against the Adams County Sheriff’s Office, Wood and Roland, citing wrongful death, assault, false imprisonment and emotional distress. A tort claim is a precursor required by Idaho law to filing a lawsuit against a county or government agency.

Protests and national attention

The fatal shooting sparked public outcry. Critics of the deputies’ actions organized online, including through a Facebook page called “Justice for Jack.” Protesters carrying “Justice for Jack” signs marched through the streets of Council in November and in March, and visited the Idaho Attorney General’s Office in May.

The officer-involved shooting drew attention from national media, including the New York Times. The Adams County Sheriff’s Office was deluged with angry, threatening calls and emails. A crisis management team was brought in to help the department continue to operate, and community leaders called for calm and patience during the investigation.

Questions arose as to whether the shooting was caught on video — from a vehicle dash camera or from deputies’ body cameras. Zollman has said the dash camera on a police vehicle at the scene wasn’t on, and he turned over the deputies’ body cameras to Idaho State Police investigators without looking at them.

Idaho State Police declined to say whether there is any video evidence.

Tempers flared at a standing-room-only town hall meeting that Zollman held in November at a Council church, but the proceedings concluded peacefully — even though many left unsatisfied with the sheriff’s answers.

This story was originally published July 29, 2016 at 12:25 PM with the headline "Sheriff’s deputies won’t face charges in the fatal shooting of rancher."