Tia J. Garcia, a woman from Twin Falls, has been charged with aiding and abetting the escape of Skylar Meade, a white supremacist Idaho prison gang member. Authorities are investigating how the ambush that allowed Meade to escape was planned. Garcia owned the car used in the escape and falsely reported it stolen after the escape. Meade and his accomplice, Nicholas Umphenour, were able to flee in the car after Umphenour shot and wounded two corrections officers who were preparing to take Meade back to prison on March 20. Police tracked down Meade and Umphenour about 36 hours after their escape.
Garcia is an acquaintance of Umphenour and Meade and even picked up Umphenour from the airport when he arrived in Boise on March 17. She was seen on surveillance video in several places around Boise with Umphenour that day. Garcia has a criminal record that includes six felonies and four misdemeanors, such as battery and drug charges. She is currently being held on $1 million bail on a charge of aiding and abetting escape. The exact details of how the ambush was planned are still under investigation. Meade and Umphenour were both members of the Aryan Knights white supremacist prison gang.
After escaping from the hospital, Umphenour and Meade are suspected of killing two men while on the run. Gerald Don Henderson, a 72-year-old resident of a remote cabin near Orofino who had taken Umphenour in years ago, and James L. Mauney, 83, of Juliaetta, were found dead. Shackles were found at Henderson’s cabin and Mauney’s vehicle was located in Filer. Umphenour and Meade were eventually apprehended after fleeing in separate cars. Tonia Huber, who was driving the car Meade was in, has been charged with harboring a fugitive, eluding police, and drug possession.
Meade, Umphenour, and Garcia are set to face preliminary hearings in April. Huber, who is facing charges in Twin Falls County, also has a preliminary hearing scheduled in April. The Director of the Idaho Department of Correction, Josh Tewalt, has promised to review policies and practices in light of the escape. The escape happened during a wave of gun violence at hospitals and medical centers. Tewalt has stated that they are working to understand how the escape was planned and executed.
The attack on the corrections officers happened at 2 a.m. in the ambulance bay of Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise. Meade had been brought to the hospital because of an injury earlier that night and refused all treatment once he arrived. Two corrections officers were wounded by Umphenour during the attack and a third was wounded by responding police who mistook the officer for the gunman. All officers are expected to recover from their injuries. Authorities are still investigating the details of the ambush and working to bring justice to the victims and their families.
