March 18, 2024 |
Photo – Mug shot of Ellenson – Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office
The man accused of burglarizing a Saratoga bar last December has been arrested.
Cody Ellenson, aged 32, was apprehended in Wakulla County, Florida, on Thursday, March 14. Ellenson has been on the run since December 16th after he allegedly robbed the Whistle Pig Saloon before fleeing the area with 28-year-old Victoria Tidball.
Tidball is accused of firing over 40 rounds at the home and vehicle of her then boyfriend, Bradley McBride, during the early morning hours of December 16th. McBride, who lives on the 300 block of North Veterans Street, was uninjured in the attack.
Court documents state that after the shooting, Tidball visited Cody Ellenson. The man allegedly illegally entered the Whistle Pig Saloon using his employee key and stole hundreds of dollars. The two escaped in Tidball’s gold-colored Ford Ranger.
Tidball was arrested by herself 11 days later in Dawson County, Nebraska.
The Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office announced that Ellenson was arrested last Thursday. A press release issued by the Florida sheriff’s department states that on March 13, 2024, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission contacted the Wakulla County Crime Suppression Unit regarding a possible wanted fugitive from Wyoming.
The suspect identified himself as Cory James. Florida law enforcement believed that the man was using a false name.
The following day, Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Detectives, the United States Marshals Service, and the Fish and Wildlife Conservation conducted surveillance on the man at a residence in Newport, Florida. Ellenson was positively identified and taken into custody without incident.
Ellenson was booked into the Wakulla County Jail where he is awaiting extradition back to Wyoming.
Speaking to Bigfoot99 on Friday, Saratoga Police Chief Mike Morris said Campbell County officials informed him that Ellenson was captured on Thursday.
Chief Morris said Ellenson is wanted on a charge out of Campbell County for a sex offense on a minor and here, in Carbon County, for burglary.
Chief Morris said Ellenson is charged with burglary resulting from the December 16th robbery of the Saratoga bar. The police chief said the man is not expected to face any charges stemming from Victoria Tidball’s shooting spree on the same night.
Chief Morris said Ellenson was picked up on the sex offense on a minor charge from Campbell County. The police chief said Ellenson will face those initial charges before, potentially, being extradited to Carbon County for the burglary allegations.
The Campbell County Sheriff’s Office is waiting for Ellenson to arrive from Florida. Meanwhile, Ellenson’s runaway partner, Tidball, is currently housed in the Carbon County Jail on $100,000 cash bond.
