A 41-year-old Idaho man, David Randall Hicks, reportedly drowned after he jumped off a bridge into a river to escape a traffic stop.
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As reported by East Idaho News, citing a Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO) release, the attempted traffic stop occurred at around 12:15 a.m. on Tuesday, September 9. Allegedly, Hicks had run a stop sign.
After failing to stop his vehicle, Hicks drove away, leading to a pursuit that ended at Lorenzo Bridge, located on East Street, police said. In a sudden turn of events, Hicks got out of his vehicle and jumped into the Snake River. After losing sight of him, deputies attempted to search for him, even using a drone to locate him.
Despite having the assistance of the Idaho State Police, the search stopped at around 3 a.m.
At around 6:15 p.m. on Wednesday, September 10, the JCSO received reports of a body in a river close to the Lorenzo Boat Dock. Authorities responded to the location and recovered the body, which was later identified as Hicks.
Authorities then made the connection that Hicks, who jumped into the water, was previously attempting to do the same days before the incident.
Previous Jumping
According to the JCSO release, on Sunday, September 7, authorities received reports of a man jumping off a train bridge into the water near U.S. Highway 20. Fearing for his safety, authorities eventually responded to the area and determined that the man, later identified as Hicks, had swam to a nearby island in the river.
For hours, deputies attempted to search for Hicks. However, he was not found, but deputies learned that the 41-year-old man had multiple felony warrants for his arrest. Unfortunately, the subsequent traffic stop and his jumping off the Lorenzo Bridge ended in tragedy.
“Jefferson Sheriff’s Office would like to express our condolences to the Hicks family,” the JCSO said in the release. “We would also like to thank Madison County, Idaho State Police, Central Fire Ambulance and Rigby Quick Response for their assistance.”
The JCSO continues to investigate the incident. It is unclear why David Randall Hicks was originally jumping off the train bridge on Sunday.