Inmate who fled Boise hospital amid gunfight sentenced to life in prison

BOISE — It was during an attack at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise in the early morning hours of March 20 that Idaho Department of Correction inmate Skylar Meade escaped from custody with help from an armed accomplice who opened fire on correctional officers.

On Friday morning, Meade was sentenced to life in prison with a fixed term of 35 years by Judge Nancy Baskin at the Ada County Courthouse.

Meade, described by police as a white supremacist gang member, was originally sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2017, after he shot at a Twin Falls sheriff's sergeant during a high-speed chase. His sentence Friday runs consecutively to the sentences he was previously serving.

After that escape from custody, Meade was charged with two felonies and a misdemeanor — possession of a controlled substance; escape by one charged, convicted, or on probation for a felony; and contraband unlawfully possessed, introduced, or removed from correctional facilities — plus two persistent violator enhancements. Meade pleaded guilty to all charges.

According to prosecutors, Meade was assisted in the attack by Nicholas Umphenour, who has been charged with three counts of assault or battery upon certain personnel, escape by one charged or convicted for a felony, unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon — all felonies — plus persistent violator and use of a deadly weapon enhancements. His trial is scheduled in October, according to online court records.

Meade escaped from custody as correctional officers got ready to bring him back to prison from Saint Alphonsus Hospital, which is located at 1055 N Curtis Rd. in Boise. According to Josh Tewalt, the department of correction director, Meade was taken to Saint Alphonsus on March 19 around 9:30 p.m. after engaging in self harm.

Just hours later, around 2:15 a.m., three correctional officers were shot in the ambulance bay of the hospital, near the emergency department. Nicholas Umphenour, who is awaiting trial, shot two of the correctional officers, prosecutors say. A third officer was shot and injured when a fellow police officer mistook him for the shooter and opened fire. All three of the officers survived their injuries.

The suspects fled the scene in a stolen Honda Civic and drove north through Idaho, encountering 83-year-old James Mauney near Juliaetta — over 250 miles from Boise. According to police, Mauney and his dogs were driven in Mauney's car to Leland, about 10 miles from Juliaetta, which is where Mauney's body and Meade's Honda Civic getaway car were found.

According to a police report, Meade's shackles and Mauney's dogs were found in 72-year-old Gerald "Don" Henderson's home just outside of Orofino. Henderson was found dead in his home.

The two men were arrested the afternoon of March 21 in Twin Falls after a brief car chase.

According to Idaho State Police, both Meade and Umphenour are being investigated for potential involvement in the two homicides, but the court is currently only addressing the offenses that happened in Ada County.

Previous reporting from the Associated Press contributed to this report.