A 31-year-old Blackfoot man already facing five separate active cases involving stalking and domestic violence now confronts a felony charge after an alleged stalking incident at a local baseball field Monday evening, authorities say.
Tyrel Keppner was charged with first-degree stalking and violation of a no-contact order following the incident at a baseball field on Airport Road in Blackfoot. The alleged encounter occurred around 8:40 p.m. on June 17.
A Pattern of Active Cases
Keppner’s legal troubles stretch back to at least mid-January, when misdemeanor counts were first filed. Since then, he has accumulated five separate active cases involving stalking and domestic violence no-contact order violations — a pattern that underscores growing concern among law enforcement about his behavior toward a specific victim and her child.
A civil protection order was issued January 28, requiring Keppner to remain at least 300 feet away from both the woman and the child. On the same Monday the new incident was reported, a separate no-contact order had also been issued against him that morning — making the alleged violation the same day that order took effect.
Scene at the Baseball Field
Officers responding to the baseball field discovered Keppner’s truck parked nearby. Measurements taken at the scene placed the vehicle just 187 feet from the child and 297 feet from the woman — both within the 300-foot exclusion zone required by his protection orders. The victim had also received a text message from an unknown number during the incident, calling her a “nasty woman.”
Keppner was not at the scene when officers arrived. A search of the area led investigators to a Super 8 motel in Blackfoot, where he was located and arrested without further incident.
Disturbing Evidence Found
During the arrest, officers examined Keppner’s phone and laptop. On the laptop, investigators found a pornographic video open alongside a browser tab showing a website for purchasing a handgun. His phone contained written notes describing acts of sexual violence against the victim — material investigators say adds a threatening dimension to the alleged stalking behavior.
The combination of physical proximity violations, anonymous threatening communications, and the content found on his devices contributed to the decision to elevate the charge to a felony.
Bond and Next Steps
Keppner was booked into the Bingham County Jail on a $100,000 bond. As a condition of his release, he was placed on pretrial supervision and required to wear electronic monitoring. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 25.
If convicted on the first-degree stalking felony, Keppner faces a maximum sentence of ten years in prison.
Stalking cases involving children and domestic relationships are among the most challenging for law enforcement because victims often live in fear long before formal charges are brought. The presence of multiple open cases against Keppner illustrates how the legal system can struggle to contain repeat offenders through misdemeanor-level enforcement alone. The felony charge, if it sticks, carries significantly greater consequences and may give prosecutors additional leverage to seek pretrial detention or more restrictive conditions going forward.
Bingham County is located in southeast Idaho, adjacent to Bannock County. Residents of the greater Pocatello and Blackfoot area with concerns about restraining order violations or stalking are encouraged to contact local law enforcement immediately.
What Comes Next
Keppner’s preliminary hearing is set for June 25 in Bingham County, where a judge will determine whether sufficient probable cause exists to send the case to district court for trial. With five active cases already in the system and a new felony charge added, prosecutors will likely argue for continued electronic monitoring and strict compliance with all existing no-contact orders. The outcome of the June 25 hearing will signal how aggressively the court intends to address what appears to be an escalating pattern of behavior targeting a woman and child who have sought legal protection multiple times.
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