An Idaho prison gang member and an accomplice who fled a Boise hospital in a brazen escape, leaving three corrections officers shot, were arrested on Thursday. Authorities are investigating whether the men were involved in two homicides while on the run.
Skylar Meade, 31, serving a 20-year sentence, was taken to a hospital for treatment when the escape occurred. Nicholas Umphenour, 28, attacked the officers, shooting three of them before fleeing with Meade. The two were captured without incident after a brief pursuit in the Twin Falls area.
Authorities are looking into whether Meade and Umphenour are connected to separate homicides in Nez Perce County and Clearwater County. Shackles found at one crime scene suggest a potential link to the suspects.
Both men were members of the Aryan Knights prison gang and had been housed together previously. Meade was serving time for aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer, while Umphenour’s reason for being in prison is unclear.
The investigation is ongoing to determine if the men had been communicating with contraband cellphones. Charges are pending against Meade and Umphenour as authorities work to piece together the events leading up to the escape and subsequent capture.
