Fremont County Sheriff’s Phones from Landfill Now in Hands of a Drug Cartel?
By Greg Pruett • September 9, 2024Several former Fremont County Sheriff’s Office cell phones have allegedly ended up in the hands of a drug cartel here in Idaho, and the phones can track every deputy in Fremont County’s locations in real time, in addition to other emergency response personnel, if a unique app on the phone is still active.
According to a source Idaho Dispatch spoke with, on condition of anonymity, the phones also contain all the law enforcement personnel’s contact information, pictures from investigations, text messages, phone logs, schedules, and other sensitive information.
Idaho Dispatch asked the source for specific information on how they knew several of the phones ended up in the hands of a drug cartel. The source provided very specific information to Idaho Dispatch about an individual within the cartel who had the phones and the name of the cartel to which they allegedly belonged. Still, the source asked the information not to be disclosed for fear that revealing the information may pose a risk to the source and their family.
In addition to the phones allegedly in the hands of a drug cartel, the source Idaho Dispatch spoke and met with also has a phone formerly belonging to a Fremont County Sheriff’s deputy. The source purchased the phone from another individual while visiting their house. Our source said they recognized it as a former Fremont County Sheriff’s phone because the source had seen another phone exactly like it previously but that phone was destroyed.
The phones were believed to have been disposed of at the Saint Anthony Landfill in 2022. While the source knew of four phones taken from the landfill, they believe there may have been as many as twenty. Idaho Dispatch also spoke with another source, who wished to remain anonymous, who told us they recovered four of the phones from the landfill’s electronic salvage bin.
Idaho Dispatch sent a public records request to the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office asking for a list of all phones disposed of in 2022, if any, the location where they were disposed of, and the process the sheriff’s office used at the time for disposing of cell phones so another individual could not gain access to the data on the phone.
The phone our source has appears to have belonged to current Fremont County Sheriff’s Deputy Colter Cannon. Cannon also works as a school resource officer, and the phone Idaho Dispatch observed has pictures and videos of interviews Cannon did at a school in Fremont County.
Idaho Dispatch sat down with our source and recorded the phone being powered on and the source gaining access to the information on the phone. The phone had password protection; however, according to our source, it was not challenging to figure out.
Idaho Dispatch confirmed the phone’s authenticity through its data, images, videos, and specific apps, which are only accessible to law enforcement officials.
The source told Idaho Dispatch that they had not shared the data and information with anyone other than Idaho Dispatch and allegedly with one other media outlet in Idaho, which declined to run the story.
You can watch a video Idaho Dispatch recorded of the source going through the deputy’s phone. Please note that the audio of the recording has been removed to protect the identity of several individuals, including our source, who were present at the time. All audio heard is my voice, explaining what you see in the video through voice-over. (The story continues below.)
One app on the phone called “Active 911” shows the active positions of every Fremont County Sheriff’s deputy. It also has the locations of Madison County Sheriff’s deputies and other emergency response personnel’s locations in both counties, including who is “on” or “off” duty.
According to the Active 911 website, the features of the app include the following:
Real-Time Call Dispatch
Nature of Call, Address, Units Dispatched, Call Notes
Personnel Responding
Mapping & Directions with Hydrants & Other Data
Turnout Timer
Custom Alarm Tones (listen to examples)
ETA and Distance
Google Street View and other mapping features
ESRI layers
Mapbox & other mapping platform layers
Idaho Dispatch contacted Fremont County Sheriff Len Humphries to ask if and when they were made aware that the phones had not been destroyed and what measures they took to ensure that the Active 911 app could not be used by individuals who may have the phones still in their possession.
Humphries did not return Idaho Dispatch’s request for comment.
Idaho Dispatch also contacted the Saint Anthony Landfill to ask about its policy regarding salvaging items and when it went into effect. No one from the landfill has returned our request for comment.
Finally, Idaho Dispatch sent a public records request to the sheriff’s office asking for a list of all phones disposed of during 2022, where they were disposed of, and what the sheriff’s office’s policy is for cell phone disposal.
Idaho Dispatch received a letter from Fremont County Prosecutor Lindsey Blake denying our entire request. Idaho Dispatch called the prosecutor’s office to find out why the sheriff’s office’s written policy for disposing of electronics was denied. The prosecutor’s office has not returned our call for clarification.
Idaho Dispatch asked our source why they had not returned the phone to the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office or destroyed it themselves. Our source told us that they wanted to ensure that “light” was shined on the “sheriff’s office’s failure” to erase that data.
If the FBI or another government agency investigated the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office’s failure not to destroy the phone, the source said they wanted to preserve the evidence.
Tags: Active 911, FBI, Fremont County Prosecutors Office, Fremont County Sheriffs Office, Idaho Dispatch, Landfill, Lindsey Blake, Saint Anthony Landfill
26 thoughts on “Fremont County Sheriff’s Phones from Landfill Now in Hands of a Drug Cartel?”
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Thanks for the important reporting!
Great article. ID may be cleanest media of any……, meaning it’s not for sale, it’s free from ever-present spin from everywhere else including the Statesman, Post Register and all the garbage from the Boise left. Unless we get out from under this communist administration and Idaho’s own spineless fake conservatives….. with Ai and the global NWO glob, we can kiss every bit of freedom we currently have remaining goodbye.
This will pose a risk on this person’s life regardless take it down
This can’t be let out for there safety take this story down there are more people at risk then just them I know this
You guys are getting so good at statewide news!
Heads need to roll at the Sheriff’s office.
Makes me wonder what other things might be out there for anyone to get ahold of because of lack of proper policies or lack of integrity of officers when doing their job.
Good job Dave!
Wow! Great story. Keep on this one for a great follow-up on a cover-up.
Perfectly put!!!! You are so not wrong. The fact that the public record request for such simple information was denied leads me to believe there is a cover up for their screw up. We have to protect our LEO and their families and this does neither.
What are your plans if you do become Sheriff? Why should we vote for you and what will you be doing to change the “machine”? Haven’t been able to find any information on your campaign even though I’ve seen your signs around.
The machine told Thad Gardner where I lived and he flew over my house with a sniper rifle and tried to blow my head off so I stand with sheriff K when he vows to kill the machine and make changes in the county so the Mexicans in my water heater have to go back to Switzerland and not blow meth smoke at me when my neighbors are raping kids and running a human trafficking ring out of their toilet.
Wow,. What is in the water in fremont county
Im more intrested in hearing about the mexicans in the water heater blowing meth in this ladys face while her neighbors are raping kids in her tolite. And some guy fighting a machine,Than i am about the stolen cell phones
Well Roy Lopez dealt me some meth before he got pancaked by a teenager in her land tank, and he stalked me from beyond the grave, so I tried to go to the Sheriff and get a restraining order so he couldn’t give me any more bad meth or spy on me from the ceiling fan. But his family of Mexican midgets took up residence in my water heater and so I had to try to get them out with a broomstick, but they just ended up moving into my ceiling instead.
Then deputy (soon to be sheriff) Byerhof bought me a hotel room at the Four Seasons in Island Park, and payed for my stay while they fumigated my trailer for the Mexicans and meth bugs.
Then I got evicted and had to move in to a different place and the upstairs neighbors were spying on me through the plumbing, and I could hear them abusing their kid through my toilet and every time the corrupt St Anthony Polic came over to check it out they sided with my cartel neighbors! That’s when Peter Brooks started selling me the good meth, and he showed me where all the cops were on his stolen police phone so I could drive my Durango in peace without having to worry about the county mounties harassing me for driving over those pesky BYU students having unprotected soaking sessions out at the dunes. Those kids got my cat Oliver pregnant!
Noreen you are out of your mind! Why the f*** would you name anybody in your comment idiot? I can’t wait till the next time I see you! That way I can share a piece of my pie
Deena I’ve been meaning to give you a piece of my pie for a long time now. How dare you steal my meth???? I and took my dentures out to MANY times to let you attack me like that in front of Peter and Roy Lopez like that, and you have the gallbladder to attack me??????? My cat Oliver didn’t like you when you came over, and he would pee on your trailer whenever he had the chance!!! Now leave me alone you meth steeling hore.
…..share a peice of your pie ??????? Go onnnnn
Your Campaign is garbage. Someone who just became a city cop in the previous year, with a little reserve deputy time does not justify that you should even be remotely considered to be a candidate in the race. Bart has this in the bag. Drop out now and do yourself a favor.
“There’s more to the story and many more”?!
It’s highly concerning that you, from a position of information and power, are here on a public forum alluding to the existence of more details for the general public to discover.
It’s shameful.
Using this opportunity to push your personal agenda shows just how willing you are to put real human beings at great risk by sharing things that have nothing to do with you.
It’s irresponsible.
The risk you would pose to the public, were you to be in a position of greater authority as the Sheriff, is not worth the “secrets” you’re offering as currency. In this day of information and technology, people have never had to be more cautious about content shared on public platforms.
It’s dangerous.
The world is changing. We must seriously consider a candidates qualifications, credentials, and ability to keep up with where we are going. How would you find time to accomplish the work it takes to protect and lead when you are so entirely consumed with how you feel personally wronged? And who would be left for you to lead behind the wake of slander and ridicule that is wherever you are? However strongly you insist you are a champion for the people, all you are doing is creating a pseudo platform to share a twisted narrative that you’re an underdog, fighting to rise above persecution. All you are accomplishing is creating a fictitious reality that is harmful to the community you are campaigning to lead.
It’s misleading.
What abilities will you have left when you’ve run out of broken promises and badly kept secrets? Public transparency is of key importance to the liberty we all treasure. Discretion is the better part of valor, and something a good leader must carry the burden of.
Wow Peter who really found the phones? Tell me please I want to know who the real P.Brooks is. Is he really 14 days sober, is he really in recovery. Does he really have no clue about these phones or did someone else use his name to hide behind after using these phones for over a year. Or is this post by a LEO who is scared. And trying to trash someone who shined a light at a corrupt office. Will the real Brooks Stand up. You got some explaining to do.
Wait. Wait…. few questions
1. You tried to get a restraining order for a ghost
2. Byu students got your cat prego
3. You and byerholf got a hotel room at 4 seasons “how are the rooms” I would ask byerholf but he seems to have left this comment board.
Last question. Where are them soaking sessions….. asking for a friend.
Our politicians and government employed are ……..
GREAT REPORTING!!!
This tells me that someone KNEW that these phones were to be disposed of. That must have been disclosed to Cartel(s) and they began tracking the phones until they were in the landfill and then recovered. Poor OpSec for sure. There is a mole in the organization somewhere or too lax of info security.
So, who was in charge of disposing of intact phones, Barney Fife? Seems like they could have easily been destroyed before going to a landfill.
Where is noreen, i miss her comments, and peter brooks. They make this story more interesting.