An Idaho State Police trooper who was severely wounded south of Twin Falls last week was well-known at the Blaine County Sheriff's Office and assisted deputies with a major marijuana bust in early September near Carey.
Sheriff's Detective Steve Harkins said wounded Trooper Chris Glenn frequently patrolled in the Wood River Valley and was part of the ISP team that assisted in investigating and destroying some 2,000 4- to 6-feet tall marijuana plants found growing near Little Wood Reservoir north of Carey.
Specifically, Glenn oversaw eradication of the plants, which involved pulling them from the ground, loading them onto trucks and burning them on Sept. 7 at the Ohio Gulch Transfer Station.
Glenn, 34, suffered a potentially career-ending bullet wound on Dec. 20 when he was shot in the neck while attempting to apprehend an armed robbery suspect. After undergoing surgery, he is now recovering at St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise.
"It's a tragedy. He's an incredible law enforcement officer," said Harkins, who is also a lifelong friend of Glenn's.
Harkins and Glenn grew up together in Kimberly.
"We started in kindergarten together," said Harkins. "We played sports together, and I graduated with him. He was an incredible athlete in school."
Glenn has been an ISP trooper for four years. Before that he was a teacher and coach at Kimberly High School.
Harkins said Glenn was well respected in the law enforcement community and has many friends in Kimberly and other parts of the Magic and Wood River valleys.
Donations are being accepted at Wells Fargo Bank to help cover long-term care expenses for Glenn and his family.
"Chris is a great husband and father and, last but not least, a great man that deserves our communities' help and appreciation," Harkins said.
"My thoughts and prayers go out the family," he said.