Idaho Authorities Allegedly Used Decoy Vehicle To Transport Lori Vallow
Mar 7, 2020, 9:59 PM | Updated: Mar 8, 2020, 11:57 am
REXBURG, Idaho – As authorities prepared an ankle bracelet for Lori Vallow ahead of her possibly posting bail, new details about the complex process surrounding her extradition from Hawaii to Idaho emerged, including the possible use of a decoy vehicle.
Madison County, Idaho, officials said they have never had a case like this before, adding Vallow’s extradition was quite an undertaking with a lot of risks.
To mitigate those risks, officials may have used a decoy vehicle to transport Vallow.
After the 3,000-mile trip from Kauai, Hawaii, and multiple layovers, detectives finally landed with Vallow in Rexburg on Thursday.
“The state plane was offered as our final leg to the Rexburg airport,” said Sergeant Isaac Payne with the Madison County Sheriff’s Office shortly after Vallow arrived at the jail.
East Idaho News captured Vallow’s landing at the Rexburg airport where she was loaded into a gray Ford Expedition, allegedly heading to the Madison County Sheriff’s Office.
Outside the sheriff’s office, reporters stood at the sally port entrance with the understanding that Vallow would be inside the vehicle that pulled in.
KSL TV’s Garna Mejia watched as a van pulled up and the garage door was lowered, hoping for a glimpse of Vallow.
“So we transported Mrs. Vallow from our local Rexburg airport,” Payne said. “As you’ve seen we just pulled into our jail.”
Or did we see?
KPHO reporters captured a shot of that same gray Ford Expedition pulling in through another gate, where detectives quickly escorted a woman in black with blonde hair into the facility.
Multiple eyewitness accounts and sources connected to the sheriff’s office told KSL that Vallow was really ushered into the jail through the side door observed in the video with the Ford Expedition.
Our cameras also captured that same Ford Expedition pulling out from behind the Madison County Sheriff’s Office.
Did the #MadisonCountySheriff’s Office use a decoy vehicle as part of #LoriVallow’s transport from Rexburg airport to the Sheriff’s office? Was the Van empty? Sgt. Payne says he’s not sure- witness accounts are. Story in 5 mins. @KSL5TV 🎥 Court: @morganloewcbs5 pic.twitter.com/aqUrKHhgBn
— Garna Mejia KSL (@GarnaMejiaKSL) March 8, 2020
Minutes later, the same detectives that had escorted Vallow, came around the corner and went inside. Later, they came out and unloaded the gray SUV. Overall, it was a long trip that Payne explained went better than expected.
“It went as planned, everything was very smooth,” Payne said. “There were no hiccups, there were no disruptions along the way and now she is safe and secure in our facility.”
KSL TV reached out to the Madison County Sheriff’s Office for official confirmation on the use of a decoy vehicle, of which reporters were unaware. Payne said that it was entirely possible detectives used a decoy vehicle for safety reasons, however, official confirmation would not be available until Monday at the earliest.
Officials said Vallow remained safe and secure inside the Women’s Detention Center Saturday, pending the securing of a bondsman for her $1 million bail.
One bondsman told us the avg. bail for them is $200K. Another said they once had a wire transfer of $50K and it took ~24hrs to come through. A $100K may take longer. @KSL5TV
— Garna Mejia KSL (@GarnaMejiaKSL) March 7, 2020
Her next court hearing is scheduled for March 18 at 9 a.m.
