A fourth person has been charged in connection with an ambush that allowed a white supremacist Idaho prison gang member to escape as he was being discharged from a Boise hospital. Tia J. Garcia, 27, of Twin Falls, owned the car that inmate Skylar Meade and his accomplice, Nicholas Umphenour, fled in after Umphenour shot and wounded two corrections officers who were preparing to bring Meade back to prison early on March 20.
Garcia falsely reported the car stolen less than an hour after the ambush, and text messages from the day before showed that Umphenour had instructed her to do so. Police tracked Meade and Umphenour down about 36 hours after their escape, but the pair is also suspected in the killings of two men while they were on the run. They have not been charged in the killings.
Latest Person Arrested
Garcia is an acquaintance of Umphenour and Meade and picked up Umphenour from the airport when he arrived in Boise on March 17. Garcia lives with her sister and is unemployed. She has a criminal record that includes six felonies and four misdemeanors. She is being held on $1 million bail on a charge of aiding and abetting escape.
Escape Planning
Authorities are still investigating how the ambush was planned and executed. Meade and Umphenour were both members of the Aryan Knights white supremacist prison gang. Meade was serving 20 years for shooting at a sheriff’s sergeant, while Umphenour was released in January after serving time for theft and gun convictions.
After the Ambush
While on the run, Umphenour and Meade allegedly killed two men in northern Idaho. Shackles were found at one victim's cabin, and the other victim's minivan was located in Filer. Tonia Huber, who was driving the truck Meade was in, has been charged with harboring a fugitive, eluding police, and drug possession.
Upcoming Hearings
Meade, Umphenour, and Garcia face preliminary hearings on April 8. Huber faces a preliminary hearing on April 5. Correction Director Josh Tewalt has promised to review policies and practices in light of the escape.
