Enterprise The Idaho
Oneida County's News Since 1879 Malad City, Idaho
July 17, 2025 |Vol. 145 No. 29
$1.50
NEWS IN BRIEF Bannock County pair accused of stealing over $5,000 in lottery tickets
Members of the Thomas family on hand at Saturday’s 75th. The shop is one of the cornerstones of Malad City’s downtown.
Thomas Electric 75th Anniversary
Local icon Thomas Electric and Furniture held a 75th anniversary party at the store on Saturday, which saw a huge crowd show up to join the family as it paid honor to the more than seven decades of great service in the Malad valley. Long before the event officially started, a steady stream of family members and well-wishers made their way downtown to show their appreciation for a store that is well and truly a Malad landmark. Thomas Electric and Furniture sits on the site of the R.T. Owens Mercantile building, which opened in 1889. As a plaque recently installed through the efforts of the Oneida Pioneer Museum explains, the “original building was replaced with the brick building in 1909 and was one of the first in Oneida County to have steam and electric lights. In 1917, the building was sold to the Oneida Farmers Union and later housed a grocery store and the Oneida County Library.” The building also housed the telephone office and apartments in its time. In 1968 Gerald Thomas, the great-nephew of R.T. Owens, bought the building and opened the business that is still on site today, owned and operated by the Thomas family. According to Larry, the building still uses coal, and there is still steam heat. “We have a boiler, and my dad thinks thought radiators were the original ones for the building, because they’re ancient!” The building is about 3200 square feet, and as family members began cleaning out some of the less often visited areas of the structure, they found themselves discovering all kinds of things that made their way out onto the sidewalk to become part of an ad hoc display. One of the pieces was what Larry believes was the original cash register. “It’s got those buttons where you can put in like two dollars and twenty cents, and it’s heavy as heck, so THOMAS ELECTRIC On Page 3
Larry Thomas shows off a still working 1942 Maytag washer.
Active Shooter Drill Planned for August 7 at MHS You may have noticed signs around town talking about an event planned for early August. While it might sound alarming, the Active Shooter Training Exercise is designed to help prepare all the county’s organizations and groups that will need to respond to such an emergency should it ever occur. The Sheriffs Office, School District, Oneida County Ambulance, Search and Rescue, Oneida County Officials, and Nell J Redfield Memorial Hospital are the most directly involved entities, but such a critical incident will involve the support of many others. The better prepared all parties can be, the quicker the response time will be, the less chance of miscommunication and mistakes, and more adroit the reaction. While Malad might not seem like a place where any such thing could happen, an analysis of a year’s worth of school shooting incidents shows that the size of the town does not have any direct correlation on the likelihood of an incident occurring.
In fact, a proportional majority of gun deaths take place in suburban and rural areas, partly as the result of suicide by firearm being included in the numbers. Another important factor is that security protocols tend to be less rigid in smaller areas, and the agencies involved have less experience dealing with the threats or incidents. For Malad, training is an important way to improve the response capabilities of local agencies. However, those agencies are very clear that they do not want to panic members of the public, or create a dangerous situation in an attempt to prevent one, and have asked the word to be spread to the community. The drill will take place on August 7, and the Sheriff’s Office and emergency management officials want to make sure that people know that there will be intense activity at the High School on that day, but that it will be a controlled exercise that does not present any actual danger or threat to the community. In fact,
the only real potential for problems comes in the form of panicked reaction, which is why the word is being aggressively put out into the public. Make sure to inform your neighbors and friends, as the more the town is prepared for it, the smoother the operation will go. In many ways, these exercises function like stress tests to determine where, if anywhere, there are weaknesses in the incident response networks. For instance, problems with communication networks or chains of command might emerge that had not been anticipated. The test allows authorities a way to discover any problems of that sort when the stakes are significantly lower than they would be in a live incident. It is also the case that many of the individuals involved in the response, while used to trauma in various forms, may not have any direct experience with the emotional and intellectual impact of a purposeful, active shooter in a school setting.
INSIDE THE ENTERPRISE Volunteers beautify trees.....................Pg. 2 Library Summer Reading....................Pg. 3 Puzzles................................................Pg. 6
Looking Back.......................................Pg. 7 Obituaries............................................Pg. 9 Curlew Rodeo preview...................... Pg. 12
Two former employees of the Hitt the Road convenience store in Arimo, Idaho, Jimmy Albert Welton (54) and Dwana Faye Campbell (44) are accused of stealing between $5,000 and $8,000 in lottery tickets on separate occasions. Campbell allegedly admitted to the theft and had initially agreed to repay the stolen amount in $300 monthly payments. The store owner later contacted police after suspecting she might flee to Texas without paying. She has been charged with grand theft and faces up to 14 years in prison and $5,000 in fines. Welton denied wrongdoing but was reportedly caught on video scratching and scanning tickets without paying. The Lottery Commission’s findings contradicted his claim that he paid at the end of his shifts. He faces one count of grand theft and four counts of illegally obtaining lottery tickets, with potential penalties of up to 34 years in prison and $105,000 in fines. Court Dates: Campbell’s sentencing: July 15 at 9:30 a.m. Welton’s preliminary hearing: July 16 at 2:15 p.m. Both are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Travis Decker Manhunt Update: Search Faces New Setback The search for fugitive Travis Decker in Idaho’s Sawtooth National Forest has ended after authorities confirmed that a man sighted in the area was not Decker. The search began following a tip from a family who saw someone resembling Decker near Bear Creek. After interviewing the man on July 10, authorities determined he was not the fugitive. Decker, a former U.S. Army soldier, is wanted in connection with the deaths of his three young daughters—Paityn (9), Evelyn (8), and Olivia (5)—whose bodies were discovered on June 2 at a Washington state campground. He has been on the run since. Decker’s whereabouts remain unknown. Authorities have no confirmed evidence he is alive. A $20,000 reward is being offered for information leading to his capture. Decker is wanted on three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of kidnapping following the deaths of his daughters—Paityn (9), Evelyn (8), and Olivia (5)— whose bodies were found on June 2 at a campground in Washington. Survival Skills: A former U.S. Army soldier, Decker has extensive survival training and has previously lived off-grid for extended periods. Mental Health: Decker has a history of mental health issues, including diagnoses of PTSD and borderline personality disorder. Public Advisory: Anyone with information is urged to contact the U.S. Marshals Service at 1-800-WANTED2 or submit tips anonymously at usmarshals. gov/tips . The public is urged to not approach Decker. The investigation remains active, with law enforcement agencies continuing to pursue leads across multiple states.