The Idaho Department of Correction (IDOC) issued the following news release about John Carroll, who supervises IDOC probation and parole officers in southeast Idaho, catching Christopher Weston Hudson, who was wanted by the state for violating parole.

IDOC Probation and Parole Supervisor and “Mama Bear” Wife Catch Fugitive

A fugitive on the run from law enforcement officers in southeastern Idaho picked the wrong house as a hiding place.

Shortly before midnight on Wednesday, Kathy Carroll of Shelley heard a sound while lying in bed. She went to her garage to investigate and found a man in one of her sleeping bags on the floor.

“I was shocked,” Carroll says.  “I shouted for my husband and yelled at my kids to call 911.”

The man jumped out of the sleeping bag; apologized to Carroll and claimed he was trying to hide from people who were trying to hurt him.  In fact, the man, 28-year-old Christopher Weston Hudson, IDOC #72192, was a fugitive wanted for violating the terms of his parole for felony drug possession and delivery.

Earlier in the evening, Hudson had fled from officers during a traffic stop.  He had eventually sought refuge in Carroll’s garage unaware that her husband is a section supervisor with the Idaho Department of Correction’s (IDOC) Community Corrections Division.  John Carroll supervises a team of probation and parole officers who are charged with monitoring convicted felons living in Idaho communities including felons like Hudson.

The chief of IDOC’s Community Corrections Division, Kevin Kempf, says out of all the houses in Shelley, Idaho, Hudson picked the wrong one.  “John is a strong, fit former Marine and his wife is not only a
soccer mom, she’s a soccer coach - a classic mama bear who you don’t want to mess with,” Kempf says.

Hudson tried to brush past Kathy Carroll and get out of the garage.  She grabbed his arm and told him to stop.  He resisted, so she shoved him.  He kept moving, so she wrapped her arms around him and pinned him against the wall.

“I was mad,” Carroll says.  “This guy was in my space, and I wanted to know who he was and what he was doing there.”

Within seconds, John Carroll ran to the garage, saw what was happening, and restrained Hudson until police arrived and took him to jail.  He’s facing a variety of new charges along with the likely revocation of his parole and return to prison.

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Carroll is one of about 375 men and women who work for IDOC’s Community Corrections Division.  They play an important role in keeping the people of Idaho safe, but their efforts often go unnoticed.

Next week these professionals will be honored during the annual, national observance of Probation, Parole, and Community Supervision Week.