Buhl Man Sentenced for Shooting at Police

Friday

Friday, March 20, 2015 • A1 www.magicvalley.com • $1.00

• March 20, 2015

CSI Women ousted in NJCAA Elite 8 by Florida School • D1

New $50 Million Plant Slated for Burley ERIC GOODELL egoodell@magicvalley.com‌

‌ URLEY • A plastics manufacB turer plans to break ground this month on a new $50 million facility, the state announced Thursday.‌ Fabri-Kal Corp. of Kalamazoo, Mich., will employ about 50 people when the plant opens this fall, the company said. It could eventually bring about 100 new jobs to Burley.

“This was a great collaborate effort,” said Doug Manning, the city’s economic development director. “A lot of agencies came together to put this together.”

Geographic location, availability of raw materials, and the promise of quick plant approval attracted Fabri-Kal to Burley, Manning said. The company hopes to break ground March 30 and be fully operational by the fall.

Fabri-Kal, a manufacturer of food containers, operates three other plants in Kalamazoo, Hazleton, Penn., and Greenville, S.C. The Burley plant will help the company expand its environmentally friendly Greenware packaging line, products made from a patented process using wheat straw and soy straw, not petroleum.

“We are excited to expand our plastic thermoforming footprint west of the Rockies while growing our material offering at the same time,” said Chuck Garlock, the company’s vice president of sales and marketing. “The new plant-based ag-fiber material will ... support our commitment to providing sustainable packaging solutions in the foodservice, consumer product and retail markets.”

The 100,000-square-foot

receive a 22 percent credit off payroll, sales and income taxes for nine years by agreeing to create at least 20 new jobs that pay higher than the average county wage. In Cassia County, that figure is $30,698.

Each year, the Department of Commerce will verify that Fabri-Kal meets the requirement, Ronk said.

Manning described FabriKal’s wages as “competitive,” and expects under-employed workers will be attracted to the company.

Fabri-Kal will add to southern Idaho’s cluster of businesses that manufacture plastics, including Solo Cup Co., Hilex Poly and Spears Manufacturing, said Jan Rogers, Southern Idaho Economic Development Organization executive director.

design and manufacturing plant will be built along Washington Avenue, west of the city. The property is owned by the Burley Development Authority.

The site is already zoned correctly, shortening the timeframe that construction could begin, Manning said.

Tax-increment financing was used as an incentive to locate in Burley, Manning said, although he didn’t immediately know the dollar amount involved. An urban renewal agency, using taxincrement financing, can help pay for items including infrastructure improvement and site development.

In addition, the company qualified for a tax reimbursement incentive through the Idaho Department of Commerce.

Megan Ronk, chief operations officer, said the company will

Please see PLANT, A5

It’s a Feeding Frenzy

STEPHEN REISS, TIMES-NEWS‌

Victor Sorria-Navarrete wears headphones for translation during his sentencing on Thursday at Twin Falls County Courthouse.

Buhl Man Sentenced for Shooting at Police ALISON GENE SMITH alismith@magicvalley.com‌

STEPHEN REISS, TIMES-NEWS‌

Juvenile steelhead broil at the water’s surface while feeding at the Magic Valley Steelhead Hatchery on Thursday, in Filer.

This year steelhead have arrived a few weeks early in the Upper Salmon River after their 1000 mile journey from the Pacific Ocean. These juveniles pictured are too young to be stocked in the rivers right now but will eventually make the same journey once they are released.

‌ WIN FALLS • It was a crime T waiting to happen.‌ When police came to Victor Soria-Navarrete’s house in Buhl on July 22, he had been awake for four days and had reportedly used meth daily for a year. His AR-15 was tucked behind his couch. His wife motioned her 13-year-old daughter to call police.

When Buhl Police officer Benny Torres and Twin Falls County Sheriff’s Deputy Jerry Elliott knocked on the door of 49 Manor Drive, Soria-Navarrete told them to go away. He pointed the rifle at his wife and said he would kill her.

But the officers would be the target of Soria-Navarrete’s gun that day.

Soria-Navarrete was sentenced to six to 30 years in prison on Thursday for shooting at the police, injuring Torres with shrapnel. He pleaded guilty in January.

From the beginning, police and prosecutors painted SoriaNavarrete as a dangerous drug user who terrified his family and didn’t hesitate to shoot at police.

On the day of the shooting, Torres stuck his foot in the door to prevent it from closing and saw SoriaNavarrete going behind a couch.

The officer heard the sound of a round being chambered in a gun Please see SENTENCING, A5

Man Takes Plea Deal in Beet Growers Embezzlement Case LAURIE WELCH lwelch@magicvalley.com‌

‌RUPERT • A Paul man charged with grand theft after prosecutors say he stole nearly $14,000 from the Minidoka County Beet Growers Association has taken a plea deal that could spare him from prison.‌ Prosecutors will recommend Kody Lynn Nielsen, 35, of Paul, serve probation and pay restitution.

Nielsen was arrested in July after

the association reported Under the agreement, a loss of $13,900 between Nielsen will plead guilty to February and May. He used one count of grand theft checks to embezzle the committed by going to a Heyburn Credit Union on money, court records say.

Nielsen took the money March 6 and wrongfully takwhile he was treasurer of the ing money in excess of $1,000 from the association, accordgrower’s association.

Nielsen He was charged with four ing to court documents. felony counts of grand theft, six He will also plead guilty to a counts of burglary, possession of count of possession of a forged a forged check and misdemeanor check. Nielsen went to a Burley petit theft. bank on April 4 with a forged check

I‌ f You Do One Thing: Magic Valley Cowboy Poets Gathering will hold its main show at 7 p.m., with pre-show at 6:15 p.m., at the old Hagerman High School gymnasium. $12 admission.

WILLS

MSRP $24,020 BUY FOR ONLY $21,980

74° 45°Low

Sunny. D4

CAMRY Le

Comics E10 Markets A2

for everyone 1Sales Event

0% GET

BUY FOR $22,480 AND GET 0.9% APR OR 60 mO. FINANCING

OR

LEASE FOR $216/mo FOR 36 MO. wiTh ONLY $1,000 OUT-OF-POckET DUE AT SiGNiNG!

APR

SEE OUR AD ON PAGE: E-1

Crossword E6 Dear Abby E5

Jumble E8 Obituaries B3

New 2015

to the entry of his plea.

The agreement states that Nielsen will pay $11,950 in restitution.

A sentencing hearing has been set for 9 a.m. May 11 at Minidoka County 5th District Court.

The state’s maximum penalty for the charge of grand theft is 14 years in prison and a fine of $5,000. The maximum penalty for possession of a forged check is 14 years in prison and a $50,000 fine.

Opinion A4 Sudoku E4

PRIUS 51 MPG CITY!

LEASE FOR $239/mo BUY FOR $24,230 FOR 36 MO. MSRP $25,250 AND TAkE $750 BUY FOR ONLY OR DOwN PAYMENT cASh AND OR wiTh ONLY $1,000 OUT-OF-POckET 0% APR 60 mO. $22,980 DUE AT SiGNiNG! FINANCING

236 SHOSHONE STREET WEST • TWIN FALLS • 733-2891 • 1-800-621-5274 • WWW.WILLSTOYOTA.COM

TOYOTA

New 2015

High

from the association’s account in the amount of $4,850, records show. The check was made out to Nielsen.

In turn, the state agrees to dismiss the remaining charges and to recommend at sentencing that he serve a six year prison term with three years fixed time and that the court suspend the prison sentence and place him on probation with the condition that he pay restitution to the growers association prior

Friday, March 20, 2015 • A5

Delay Possible for Trial in Trespasser Killing SCOTT SONNER Associated Press‌

‌ ENO, Nev. • A judge is reconsiderR ing whether the Nevada man charged with murder and attempted murder in the shooting of two unarmed trespassers at a vacant duplex should have access to the confidential mental health records of the surviving victim.‌ Washoe District Court Judge Patrick Flanagan has ordered the state to produce the records by the end of this week for his private review to determine whether Wayne Burgarello’s lawyer can continue to argue they should be admitted as evidence in the case that has drawn attention to Nevada’s “stand-your-ground” law.

Burgarello, a 73-year-old retired school teacher, says he was acting

STEPHEN REISS, TIMES-NEWS‌

Judge Randy J. Stoker looks on during the sentencing of Victor Sorria-Navarrete for shooting at Buhl police officers on Thursday at Twin Falls County Courthouse.

Sentencing Continued from A1

and began to back out of the doorway to find cover.

“Gun!” Torres shouted.

The officers ran toward their patrol cars for cover and Elliot heard two volleys of three to five shots each, then a final shot. The deputy looked back and saw sparks hitting the roadway.

Torres was hit in his buttocks with a piece of shrapnel. The officers did not return fire. Soria-Navarrete fled and was arrested hours later in Salt Lake City.

Prolonged use of methamphetamine and access to a weapon made the crime inevitable, District Judge Randy Stoker said Thursday.

Using a translator, SoriaNavarrete asked Stoker to help him escape the torment and helplessness of drug addiction.

“I’d like to apologize to my family for the great impact my actions have had on them,” he said. “I apologize to my children for abandoning them now because of what I’ve done, because of my drug use.”

He also apologized to Torres “because he came to help our family. . . that day.”

Defense attorney Kent Jensen asked that Stoker retain jurisdiction of the case while his client attended a yearlong therapeutic community program through the Idaho

Plant Continued from A1

Idaho has the largest socalled “plastics cluster” in the state, and “as we expand that cluster, it is easier to attract talent,” Rogers said.

She is headed to Washington, D.C., this weekend to pitch southern Idaho’s benefits to companies who plan to invest in the United States.

Partnership has been key to attracting businesses like Fabri-Kal. “When we say partner, we really partner, from the governor’s office to the mayor to the county, and companies recognize that,” Rogers said.

“A lot of times, it’s just about relationships,” Manning said.

United Power will provide the electricity to the plant. Plastics manufacturers are heavy users of electricity, and United Power made a special effort to promise power would be available when Fabri-Cal needs it, Rogers said. The College of Southern Idaho is expected to provide job training for Fabri-Kal. Rogers called the

We Want to Make You a Loan!

150 3000

$ .00 $ to ,

Convenient Loan 323 Main Ave. East • Twin Falls

(208) 734-4333 www.GentryFinance.net

Department of Correction.

Soria-Navarrete was hallucinating the day of the shooting and believed he saw the devil, Jensen said. His client suffers from depression, was abused as a child and did not have a history of violence or a criminal record to speak of before the shooting.

Stoker often sentences those with drug problems to probation or therapeutic programs so they can get help with their addictions.

“This is not such a case,” he said.

Domestic violence calls are some of the most dangerous for police, Stoker said.

“The worse-case scenario is typical of what happened in this case,” he said.

Half of the courtroom was filled with Buhl and Twin Falls County officers.

Two of Soria-Nararrete’s family members also attended. Buhl Police Chief Eric Foster said he was satisfied with the sentence and appreciates how local judges treat crimes against police officers.

S to ke r s a i d So r i a Navarrete is likely to be deported when he is paroled but still deserved a long prison sentence.

“I understand you were asking for leniency and forgiveness,” the judge told Soria-Navarrete. “There are certain crimes in this community that warrant a significant sentence, and this is one of them.”

60-year-old company “a wonderful, family owned company that fits perfectly into the culture of the region.”

Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter said the plant will create new career opportunities for families in the Magic Valley.

Said the governor: “On behalf of the state of Idaho, Cassia County, and city of Burley, we look forward to being a partner in helping the company achieve success for many years to come.”

in self-defense when he fatally shot Cody Devine and seriously wounded Janai Wilson inside the rundown Sparks duplex he owns in a workingclass neighborhood east of Reno.

Burgarello’s lawyer, Theresa Ristenpart, says Wilson is the prosecution’s star witness. She wants to use the records to challenge the credibility of Wilson’s accounts of the shooting, arguing Burgarello’s right to defend himself trumps confidentiality concerns.

Wilson told police that she and Devine had been using methamphetamine in the duplex when Burgarello barged in and started firing at them on the floor of a darkened bedroom Feb. 13, 2014. Devine was shot five times, Wilson three.

Nevada law allows property owners who fear for their lives to use

The Liberal Plan to Save the Middle Class JIM TANKERSLEY The Washington Post‌

‌ ASHINGTON • The libW eral wonks at the Economic Policy Institute are having a moment right now. They’ve been warning for years that middle-class wages were stagnating. Suddenly, as they put it in a paper out Thursday, “There is now widespread agreement across the political spectrum that wage stagnation is the country’s key economic challenge.” They’ve long called the decline in unionization the biggest factor in that stagnation; Democrats are increasingly embracing that argument.‌ Looking to seize that moment with the Democrats gearing up for 2016 — a list that absolutely starts with Hillary Rodham Clinton, the party’s presidential frontrunner — the group is releasing a detailed breakdown of the policies it believes will prove effective for lifting wages, and which plans would fall flat.

The policies that work, as the Economic Policy Institute puts it, mostly break into two categories: ways to reduce unemployment and ways to empower workers.

The former includes co n t i n u e d m o n e ta ry easing from the Federal Reserve — until such time

as non-inflation-adjusted wages are rising at 3.5 percent a year, well above what wage growth is today — and increased government spending on research, infrastructure and direct employment programs.

The latter includes raising the federal minimum wage, changing federal labor regulations to allow millions more salaried workers to collect overtime pay and, of course, making it easier to form unions. Conservative economists criticize all of those proposals.

EPI’s list of policies that won’t work contains almost anything you might find in a Republican presidential platform right now — tax and spending cuts — along with a lot of education measures favored by Democrats and Republicans alike.

Pro-business groups in Washington are sure to recoil at almost every piece of the plan, except for EPI’s call for comprehensive immigration reform. The EPI premise is that people working under the table draw lower wages than people working legally, thereby pulling down pay for everyone else.

They’ll especially hate the final piece: using the tax code “to restrain the growth of top 1 percent incomes”

Final Markdown On ALL Remaining Fall & Winter Sale Shoes for Men & Women OW

deadly force, but not if they’re the initial aggressor.

Deputy District Attorney Bruch Hahn says Burgarello acted in revenge for prior break-ins at the property his family has owned since World War II. He said Burgarelllo’s self-defense claim is undermined by statements to neighbors and police the week before, suggesting he’d take the law into his own hands.

Ristenpart argues that Burgarello perceived Devine as the aggressor and may have mistaken a flashlight for a gun. She wants to introduce evidence that Devine and Wilson had histories of aggression exacerbated by drug use.

The trial originally scheduled to begin in January is set for May. But further delay is possible at a hearing March 27.

your Premier Auto DeAler

Home of No Pressure, No HyPe!

$17,998

2014 KIA Optima lx stk# EG328583

2011 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon

$28,998

stk# BL582682

4X4

2013 Chevrolet Tahoe lt

$35,998

stk# DR352247

LEathER, 4X4

2010 Chrysler Town & country

$10,998

stk# aR343557

2014 KIA Forte lx

$14,998

stk# E5226027

N

1/2 price In The

or Less

Lynwood Shopping Center Twin Falls • 733-6280 Open Mon.-Fri. 9:30-6pm Saturdays 9:30-5:30pm www.hudsonsshoes.com

Beat the Heat!

2014 Dodge Journey sxt

$20,998

stk# Et127450

aWD

2014 Dodge avenger se

$14,998

stk# EN104372

Call (208) 732-1655 for more information

call BRian eRke Sales Specialist

call Randy PeRRine ine Sales Specialist GM

Buy Now and Beat the Spring Rush

733-6522 Twin Falls

Patio Covers • Carports • Screen Rooms • Sunrooms

www.patiocoversunlimited.com

call Rick JacksOn Sales Specialist

call maRcUs WalkeR Sales Specialist

call Jim nickels Sales Specialist

www.randyhansenautomotive.com .randyhansenautomotive.com

732-1655 636 Poleline Rd. Twin Falls, ID