Forest Service worker involved in Idaho cobalt mine permits faces felony gun charges

Kevin Fixler, Idaho Statesman

CHALLIS (Idaho Statesman) — A U.S. Forest Service worker successful cardinal Idaho is successful jailhouse connected a $1 cardinal enslaved aft SWAT teams were called successful to thief extremity a six-hour equipped standoff betwixt him and constabulary past period astatine his location successful Challis.

The incident occurred erstwhile constabulary arrived to apprehension Curtis Lee Caton, 47, a geologist and mineral administrator connected nan Salmon-Challis National Forest, astatine his location complete a study that he changeable a handgun toward group successful vehicles successful 2 abstracted events connected nan aforesaid night.

Caton was charged pinch 3 felonies: unlawful firearm discharge astatine an occupied vehicle, battle pinch intent to execution and malicious wounded to property. He besides faces 1 misdemeanor count for resisting police.

Amy Baumer, spokesperson for nan Salmon-Challis National Forest, declined to reply questions from nan Idaho Statesman astir Caton, citing a argumentation against disclosing worker information. She would not opportunity really agelong Caton has worked for nan U.S. Forest Service, reside his roles and responsibilities successful nan Central Idaho region, aliases authorities whether he remains employed by nan national agency successful ray of his May arrest.

Josh Johnson, nan Idaho Conservation League’s Central Idaho director, told nan Statesman that Jervois Mining USA, which owns a cobalt mine successful nan Salmon-Challis National Forest, directed nan biology group to Caton arsenic nan designated U.S. Forest Service interaction for nan project. Caton besides was listed arsenic nan U.S. Forest Service interaction successful an approval archive from summertime 2023 that allowed Jervois to prosecute further exploratory drilling for much cobalt deposits adjacent nan excavation site.

Caton remained successful custody Tuesday astatine nan Lemhi County Jail successful nan metropolis of Salmon. His preliminary proceeding is scheduled for July 1.

If convicted connected nan 4 charges, Caton could look up to 35 years successful situation and much than $100,000 successful fines, not including imaginable restitution to nan victims.

‘PEACEFUL RESOLUTION’ AFTER POLICE STANDOFF

Police said Caton fired respective 10mm rounds from a handgun adjacent 3 minors successful a conveyance successful nan distant area of Bradbury Flat successful Custer County, according to a constabulary probable origin affidavit. The kids reported seeing a metallic Toyota Tacoma astatine a campsite successful nan area astatine astir 10 p.m., and sheriff’s deputies later recovered 10mm ammunition casings astatine Bradbury Flat and a 10mm handgun successful Caton’s home.

Approaching midnight, nan parents of astatine slightest 1 of nan kids discovered nan metallic Toyota pickup motortruck successful nan driveway astatine a location successful nan 330 artifact of East Summit Circle successful Challis, nan affidavit read. They called 911 dispatch aft an individual opinionated adjacent nan motortruck fired respective 10mm rounds astatine their vehicle, including immoderate that struck nan driver-side door, pierced nan interior and besides changeable retired their backmost window, constabulary reported.

At nary constituent did nan mates participate nan spot arsenic they tried to publication nan truck’s licence plate, they told police. Neither of nan parents was deed arsenic they near nan area and met sheriff’s deputies astatine a adjacent occurrence station, according to nan affidavit.

Police officers arrived astatine Caton’s location soon earlier 1 a.m. and said pinch him, nan Custer County Sheriff’s Office wrote successful a news release astir nan incident. Several section news outlets reported connected nan incident nan time of Caton’s arrest.

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At 1 point, Caton answered his doorway while wearing assemblage armor and holding an AR-15 assault-style firearm and made a connection to Custer County Interim Sheriff Levi Maydole on nan lines of, “This is really it is now,” arsenic he motioned to nan tactical gear, nan affidavit read. Then Caton kicked nan doorway shut, constabulary said.

Caton’s woman was safely evacuated from nan home, nan affidavit said. Caton’s big girl besides lives astatine nan home, according to nan tribunal filing. A 23-year-old female was yet released from wrong during negotiations pinch Caton that extended into nan early greeting hours, constabulary said successful nan news release.

The SWAT squad from Bonneville County arrived arsenic constabulary worked to group up a perimeter astir nan Caton home, alongside a abstracted multi-county constabulary tactical squad based successful Southeast Idaho, constabulary said.

About six hours into what nan Custer County Sheriff’s Office described arsenic a standoff pinch nan suspect, Caton agreed to exit his location without further incident. He was arrested and booked into nan region jail.

“I americium thankful we were capable to scope a serene solution without immoderate nonaccomplishment of life aliases superior wounded successful our community,” Maydole said successful nan news release. The extremity consequence showed nan worth of “collaboration pinch our section and location rule enforcement partners who tin assistance agrarian counties specified arsenic ours, which do not person nan manpower aliases resources basal to grip these types of incidents connected our own.”

The Jervois Mining USA-owned cobalt excavation successful nan Salmon-Challis National Forest, has had operations suspended since March 2023. | Ian Max Stevenson, Idaho Statesman

SUSPECT INVOLVED IN PERMITTING COBALT MINE

Jervois, based successful Melbourne, Australia, worked to unfastened nan cobalt mine successful autumn 2022 astatine nan Idaho tract — what would beryllium nan only superior cobalt excavation successful nan U.S. But by spring, operations were suspended arsenic world cobalt prices collapsed.

Cobalt is contained successful rechargeable lithium-ion batteries and seen arsenic captious to nan climate-driven modulation distant from fossil fuels to much sustainable power sources. The constituent besides is utilized successful munitions and high-grade alloys for aerospace, drafting liking successful nan excavation from nan U.S. authorities to thief found a reliable and afloat home proviso chain.

The U.S. Department of Defense past twelvemonth awarded $15 cardinal to Jervois to walk connected further exploration activities for different deposits adjacent nan existing mine, which rests successful nan Idaho Cobalt Belt — nan largest known unmined tract for nan uncommon metallic successful nan nation. Those drilling operations are progressive and ongoing while nan excavation remains astatine a standstill, Matt Lengerich, nan mine’s executive wide manager, told nan Statesman.

Lengerich confirmed anterior activity betwixt Jervois and Caton connected nan Idaho cobalt excavation project.

Lengerich said he was unaware of immoderate imaginable impacts to excavation permits that progressive Caton, including whether his caller ineligible issues could lead to reversing past approvals aliases hold immoderate cobalt excavation activities going forward. He referred further questions astir Caton to nan U.S. Forest Service.

CATON REQUESTS $1 MILLION BOND REDUCED

After his first tribunal appearance, Caton was transferred to nan jailhouse successful neighboring Lemhi County arsenic a matter of accustomed course, because Custer County’s jailhouse has a 3rd of nan abstraction for those successful custody, Lemhi County Deputy Lonny Miller, who useful successful detention, told nan Statesman by phone.

The magistrate judge successful nan lawsuit issued a no-contact bid betwixt Caton and nan parents of nan minor. The parents person each been subpoenaed to attest successful Caton’s pending criminal case.

Last week astatine a tribunal hearing, Caton’s defense attorney, Justin McCarthy, asked that nan judge trim his client’s first $1 cardinal enslaved and besides move Caton backmost to nan Custer County Jail successful Challis truthful he tin beryllium person to his family while nan ineligible process plays out. At nan petition of Custer County Prosecuting Attorney Justin Oleson, Caton’s enslaved has gone unchanged. He remains astatine nan jailhouse successful Salmon, Miller said.

Reached by telephone astatine his office, McCarthy declined to remark to nan Statesman astir nan case.

PRIOR CRIMINAL INCIDENT IN SUSPECT’S PAST

Caton, who antecedently lived successful Kamiah successful North Idaho, had a anterior apprehension for a convulsive incident, tribunal records showed.

Caton physically attacked his neighbour successful precocious 2018 aft nan neighbour lit disconnected a firework successful his ain backyard, a Lewis County lawman reported. Caton entered nan spot and punched his antheral neighbour respective times earlier throwing him to nan crushed by his pharynx and placing him successful a choke hold, leaving nan neighbour pinch injuries to his face, head, cervix and chest, according to nan tribunal record.

Three women astatine nan neighbor’s location who witnessed nan incident besides said Caton shoved them arsenic he near nan property, nan constabulary study read. Officers questioned Caton astatine his location soon after, and he was witnessed pinch dried humor connected his correct manus but denied it was blood, nan lawman wrote.

Caton told nan lawman he heard an detonation and went to investigate, erstwhile he had an AR-15 assault-style firearm pointed astatine him, according to nan report. He said nan 3 women laughed astatine him erstwhile he entered his neighbor’s backyard.

The lawman doubted Caton’s communicative and placed him nether apprehension connected suspicion of misdemeanor battery. The complaint was later dismissed astatine nan metropolis prosecutor’s petition connected an statement that Caton service probation, for which nan magnitude of clip was not defined successful nan tribunal record.

Caton waived his correct for his latest criminal proceedings to nan required timeline aft charges were revenge for a preliminary proceeding and Caton is group to make his adjacent tribunal quality connected July 1.