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CONTACT: Lt. Robert Gilliam On Tuesday January 31st just after midnight, Jackson Police Officers responded to a radio call of "suspicious circumstances” at the Teton County Library, 125 Virginian Ln. Upon arrival, officers located a white Chevrolet pick-up truck parked in the parking lot and determined the vehicle had been stolen in Harlan, Nebraska on January 29th. Inside the truck, officers found a female, Crysta Marler age 31 asleep in the back seat of the crew cab truck. Marler was arrested for possession of a stolen vehicle. As officers interviewed Marler, she told them her boyfriend, Fred Stidham, age 38 had travelled to Jackson with her in the stolen truck and was on foot in the area. Officers obtained a description of Stidham and began looking for him. At 0434 hours, officers responded to a residence in the 700 Block of Rodeo Dr., on a burglary alarm. When they arrived they observed a white male, later identified as Stidham, running from the residence. Officers confronted Stidham at gunpoint at which time he discarded a loaded .45 caliber handgun into the snow. Stidham was taken into custody without incident. Further investigation revealed that Stidham attempted to enter the unoccupied residence by prying a locked door, which in turn activated the alarm. Stidham fled just after he entered the residence and nothing was found to be missing. Officers later determined that Stidham is a convicted felon from the state of Missouri and has also served prison time in other Midwest states, mostly for burglary, weapons charges and assault. Detectives interviewed both Stidham and Marler who indicated they have travelled across country for the past week and have committed other thefts and burglaries along the way. The gun Stidham possessed upon his arrest was recently stolen in a burglary in Cage County, Missouri. Officers and detectives continue their investigation and are working with other law enforcement agencies in the states of Missouri and Nebraska. The Teton County Sheriff's Department assisted in the arrest of Marler. The ATF and FBI are assisting in the follow up investigation. Both Stidham and Marler were booked into the Teton County Jail on felony charges. Nothing follows.
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