Chubbuck man gets rider for firing gun inside occupied apartment

POCATELLO — A man who fired a gun inside an occupied building leading to a standoff with law enforcement, has been sent on a rider.

William Ray Elders, Jr., 55, pleaded guilty to felony charges for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and discharging a firearm inside an occupied building. In exchange, felony charges of aggravated battery and aggravated assault and a deadly weapon enhancement were all dismissed as part of a plea agreement with the Bannock County Prosecutor’s Office.

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At a July 31 hearing, District Judge Javier Gabiola sentenced Elders to a rider, with an underlying prison sentence of five to 10 years, court records show.

A rider program is when a judge sends a person to prison for up to a year. There, they undergo different treatment programs, as needed. When the inmate has completed the program, the judge can then decide to send them back to prison for the rest of their sentence or release them on probation.

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Chubbuck police, Bannock County Sheriff’s deputies and Idaho State Police troopers responded to reports of gunshots at a Yellowstone Avenue apartment complex on February 8. Officers later learned Elders had fired a single shotgun blast before going back into his apartment.

Eventually, Elders surrendered to police without incident. He then informed officers that he had been convicted of driving under the influence in North Carolina and numerous assault charges in Missouri.

In addition to the rider, Elders has been ordered to pay $2,841.