JEROME COUNTY TAXPAYERS COULD GET A MIGHTY BIG BILL

Hang onto your wallets, Jerome County taxpayers, because a tidal wave of
lawsuits is about to hit county government. Jerome County could end up
drowning in debt if it loses any of these suits. That means you, dear
taxpayers, could be forced to bail out your elected officials.

The legal claims stem from a botched drug bust on Jan. 3 in Eden. Two
Jerome County sheriff's deputies and an Eden homeowner were shot to death
in a raid planned and led by Sheriff Jim Weaver.

Relatives of all three dead men have filed a total of $17.4 million in tort
claims against the county. Survivors of Eden homeowner Tim Williams have
filed a $10 million claim; the parents of Cpl. Phillip Anderson are seeking
$5 million; and the widow of Cpl. James Moulson is seeking $2.4 million.

Unfortunately for Jerome County and its taxpayers, the county's insurance
has a $2 million liability limit. Officials with the Idaho Counties Risk
Management Program refuse to tell us if that's $2 million per claim, or $2
million per incident, or anything else about the policy. We're still
awaiting an answer from Jerome County.

Assuming that it's $2 million per claim, the county's insurance carrier
might pay as much as $6 million -- leaving a gap of more than $11 million.
If the liability limit is a flat $2 million, then the gap could exceed $15
million.

At this point, no one knows how these three cases will play out. The county
might prevail in some or all of them. Out-of-court settlements or jury
awards might be less than what the plaintiffs are seeking.

On the other hand, if Jerome County loses, it could get stuck with a
multimillion-dollar bill that insurance won't cover. It's not an enviable
situation for the county's taxpayers.

It's worth remembering how Jerome County got into this mess.

Using information from an unreliable informant, Sheriff Weaver conceived,
planned and executed a drug raid within a matter of hours. He and his
deputies kicked open the door of a man whom they knew to be: 1) armed; and
2) jumpy.

State investigators later found a trifling amount of marijuana inside
Williams' house. Under normal circumstances, it wouldn't have been enough
to take him to jail; he would have been issued a citation instead.

Under normal circumstances, three men would not have died, and Jerome
County wouldn't be facing more than $17 million in tort claims.

Something went tragically wrong in Eden that night, but none of the
survivors will own up to what happened. Now that the process is moving into
civil court, Weaver and his undersheriff, Jocelyn Roberts, may be forced to
talk to the plaintiffs' lawyers. The truth may still come out, but it's far
more likely to be hidden in a confidential settlement.

If that happens, Jerome County taxpayers will never know what hit them.
They could wind up paying higher taxes to settle the claims, but they will
never get the courtesy of an explanation.

Weaver's supporters have attacked the media for questioning his role in the
Eden fiasco. There's been a strong implication that to question the
sheriff's actions is to oppose law enforcement.

Now that Moulson's widow and Anderson's parents are questioning Weaver's
leadership, will Weavers' supporters have the bad taste to denounce them as
well? Moulson and Anderson's kin have buried men they loved. Now they are
seeking accountability.

Being tough on drugs and bullish on law enforcement is fine. But it's
foolish to put blind faith in public officials whose mistakes could cost
everyone.