Estimated read time: 5-6 minutes
- Eastern Idaho is often home to some outlandish, disturbing or straight-up weird crime stories.
- Here's the top crime stories of 2025, chosen by East Idaho News staff.
IDAHO FALLS – Eastern Idaho is often home to some very outlandish, disturbing and straight-up weird crime stories.
Through all of the depressing articles filled with gore and sometimes just genuine evil, it's important to remember that sometimes, it's essential to find the humor. Obviously, crime isn't funny – but sometimes the circumstances are.
Here are, in our opinion, the Top 10 craziest eastern Idaho crime stories of 2025.
1: Uber driver turns in passenger accused of attempted Idaho Falls bank burglary
This one is a classic in the newsroom when we all need to lift our spirits with a good laugh.
On June 11, a 50-year-old California woman identified as Wendy Bess allegedly fled from Idaho Central Credit Union in Idaho Falls after trying to withdraw a large amount of money from an account that did not belong to her, using a stolen ID.
Employees pressed the panic alarm, and Bess fled in a white GMC Terrain, hitting an officer and dragging him 50 feet across the pavement before he let go.
Officers chased her to the intersection of West 49th South and South 45th East, where they found the car – but not Bess. Little did officers know that she had called an Uber to pick her up just south of the scene.
Soon, an Uber driver pulled his car up to an officer and said that he thought his passenger might be the suspect. Noting the suspicious circumstances and the presence of police in the area, he drove Bess to the closest officers.
She was then arrested and charged with three felony counts of burglary, felonies for grand theft and attempted grand theft, attempting to elude an officer, aggravated battery, and leaving the scene of an accident.
2: Police arrest nude man allegedly trying to get into Rigby homes
(In all seriousness, we hope this man is OK and has found the help and support he needs.)
On Aug. 22, around 11:15 p.m., a Rigby homeowner noticed a naked man, later identified as 18-year-old Brian Berrios, of Rigby, walking in town and trying to get into people's homes.
Trace Barney told EastIdahoNews.com it was his parents' house where Berrios chose to make his appearance. They weren't aware he was on the porch, but found out the next morning when they checked their phone and saw him on their Ring doorbell. Barney says they do not know the man and have never seen him before.
Barney reports officers found him elsewhere later that night.
Berrios was arrested and taken to the Jefferson County Jail on misdemeanor charges of indecent exposure, resisting and obstructing officers, and disturbing the peace.
3:Two Utah men allegedly steal $70,000 in cash from D&L Cleaners
This one actually started in July 2024, when police discovered a burglary at D&L Cleaners in Idaho Falls.
In January of this year, the men were identified as Thomas Jeffrey Ward, who was charged with felony burglary and felony grand theft, and Jimmy Jack Olson, who was charged with the same two felonies as Ward and received alternative charges, which allege Olson conspired to help Ward commit the two felonies.
The crazy part here isn't necessarily that they allegedly broke in and stole $70,000, which is also insane and obviously not a good thing. The part we can't get over is why there was $70,000 in cash at a dry cleaners?
4: Do you know this man? Police looking for suspect in food truck burglary
This is a classic case of someone wanting to steal something, but forgetting that technology exists.
On Aug. 3, around 5:30 a.m., a man allegedly broke into Dave's Fire & Smoke BBQ, a local food truck located at 680 1st Street, and Mi Ranchito Mexicana, a food truck located at 240 East 1st Street.
Thankfully, the owner of Dave's Fire & Smoke BBQ had invested in high-quality security cameras. Despite the man's attempt to turn them off, they continued to record, providing police with a clear view of the suspect.
The suspect initially got away on a bicycle with cash, a cellphone, thousands of dollars in equipment, shoes, and other things, as well as damaging the trucks.
The man was later identified as Macario Angulo, and he was arrested and charged with felonies for burglary, two counts of grand theft, and misdemeanor malicious injury to property. In the second case, he is charged with felony burglary, and misdemeanors for malicious injury to property and petit theft.
5: Man falls asleep in credit union restroom, attracts police interest
The alternative headline for this story was, "Man falls asleep while making a deposit." That's a poop joke for those of you who don't understand humor.
On March 4, Pocatello police responded to a tripped alarm at the Mountain America Credit Union Yellowstone branch. At first, police believed it may be a break-in.
"You get a bank alarm, any bank alarm, we … respond as though there's a problem," said Pocatello Police Lt. Josh Hancock at the time.
After opening the door, the officers announced their presence and stated that they had a K-9 unit with them. The man inside the building immediately surrendered and communicated with the police.
He then told officers that he had fallen asleep in the restroom of the building and then woke up to find it closed.
The responding officers secured the scene to ensure there was no danger to the public and did not arrest or file charges against the man.
