Idaho Law Enforcement Debunks Fake News About A Gang Invasion

We all have to be careful with what news we consume in 2024, right? Shoot, we get fact-checked all the time (looking at you, Comment Section) and if we're being honest, it's helpful.

Most of us work in the radio/media business so it can be difficult to find time to get to the source of info. What can we say? We do the best we can but we also get a little help from our community. It's one of the perks of being a local media outlet, even if we write about food, festivals, etc.

Recently though, it was Canyon County Sheriff's Office who stepped up to shut down fake news being spread by the national media.

"This graphic is misleading..."

In case you haven't heard, there has been a lot of talk and news about Venezuelan gangs invading apartment complexes in Colorado. Recently, national media outlets reported that these gangs are also active in Utah and now Idaho.

The Canyon County Sheriff's Office took the national media seriously and decided to look into it as soon as possible. They revealed their findings in a press release yesterday afternoon:

“I’ve been made aware that certain national media outlets are broadcasting a map/graphic that shows the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (TdA) is operating in Canyon County," Canyon County Sheriff Kieran Donahue said in a press release.

"I want to make it clear that this graphic is misleading."

Apparently, the national media took what Canyon County Sheriff Kieran Donahue said in an interview about TdA committing crimes across Idaho and turned it into: "Tda is committing crimes in Canyon County."

"I told the reporter about intelligence I had received regarding TdA traveling across Idaho to commit crimes, but I did not state that TdA was operating or committing crimes in Canyon County," Sheriff Donahue said, "Thankfully, to my knowledge, there have been no confirmed reports of TdA activity in Canyon County or elsewhere in the Treasure Valley."

He did go on to say that law enforcement is keeping an eye on TdA activity and that they should expect them to arrive in Idaho at some point, but for now, the national media is stretching the truth about what's really happening in Idaho.