SANDPOINT, Idaho – A North Idaho sheriff took matters into his own hands during the hunt for a murder suspect over the weekend.
Bonner County Sheriff Daryl Wheeler said it all began late Saturday night when Linda Provo-Buxton, 54, showed up to the sheriff’s office to turn herself in for a crime.
What that crime was, was not clear at the time. Before a deputy could make contact with Provo-Buxton, she apparently took off.
During all of this, investigators showed up to her home in Hope and found her boyfriend dead. It appeared he had been hit severely on the head.
Deputies began searching the areas near the sheriff’s office for Provo-Buxton. While this was all happening, Sheriff Wheeler was at home.
“I was getting updates on where the detectives were and where the search was going,” Wheeler said. “At that point, I just hopped in the car and said well I’m just going to join the search.”
You can take the deputy out of the patrol, but you cannot take the patrol out of the deputy – or in this case, Sheriff, so to speak.
By now, it had been hours since Provo-Buxton was last seen in the area. Deputies had already checked by the gas station just a half a mile from the sheriff’s office. Wheeler thought he would start by swinging by there, just to check again.
“As I made the turn, I could see [Provo-Buxton] coming out of the barn,” Wheeler said.
Sure enough, it was her. Wheeler said she had been hiding in a nearby barn. He said he recognized her from previous arrests as well.
Provo-Buxton is now in Bonner County Jail facing second degree murder charge. You could say her capture was a rare instance where the top lawman around was the one to bring her in.
“I can’t tell you the last time I arrested somebody,” Wheeler said. “It’s been years.”