The Associated Press
JACKPOT, Nev. (AP) -- A Minidoka County, Idaho, sheriff’s deputy was recovering Wednesday after being shot three times by a suspected bank robber at a northern Nevada hotel.
Detective Lt. Randy White, 51, was transported to Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise, where he was in stable condition.
Minidoka County Sheriff Paul Fries said White, a 17-year veteran of the department, was shot below his protective vest, about an inch under his navel. Two other shots hit his upper legs.
“The doctor says there’s no reason for this to be life threatening,” Fries said Wednesday. “We thank the good Lord he’s going to be OK.”
Reached by cell phone, Elko County Sheriff Neil Harris said White was shot after he traced the suspect to a room at the hotel and casino.
John Kurkowshi, 23, was arrested at the scene Tuesday evening and was being questioned in Jackpot. A woman was found hiding in the bathroom of Kurkowshi’s room was also arrested. She has been identified as Lisa Ledford, 34, of Paul.
Elko County deputies and a detective from the Twin Falls Police Department were assisting White in his investigation of recent bank robberies.
On Sept. 19, a man dressed in dark clothing held up the Key Bank in Paul at gunpoint, then escaped with an undisclosed amount of cash.
Leads took investigators to the Cactus Petes Hotel, police said. As White and other officers made contact with Kurkowshi through his hotel room door, the suspect burst out and opened fire, Harris said. Kurkowshi fired four shots, with three hitting White before officers subdued the suspect, police said.
Kurkowshi and Ledford were to be taken to the Elko County Jail, where they likely will be booked on charges of attempted murder and bank robbery, said Elko County Sheriff’s Lt. Bill Cunningham.