CALDWELL -- A Caldwell man accusing of plotting to kill the Homedale police chief appeared in a Canyon County courtroom Thursday.
John Richmond Jr. is being held in jail on a $1 million bond. He is charged with solicitation to commit murder.
Richmond was arrested after he allegedly tried to buy a gun to kill Homedale Police Chief Jeff Eidemiller.
It was an emotional afternoon here for the suspect's sister and Eidemiller.
We are told that officers received word of the threats and that Richmond was trying to get a gun, but those threats turned even more dangerous when he tried to actually buy a weapon from the confidential informant.
From a television screen at the Canyon County Courthouse, the defendant’s sister Patricia Richmond saw her older brother for the first time in a while.
Patricia says right now her family is in shock over the allegations. They have not seen John Junior and have tried to reach him by phone, but he won't return their calls.
Patricia says John Junior has a drug problem and her brother's last run-in with the law and Eidemiller was over meth.
"Meth, that's the only drug I know he has done is meth. How long? I have no idea. His early 20s is when I noticed and that's when he got locked up and he was doing good," said Patricia Richmond.
"Shocking, every police officer knows in the back of their mind these types of things happen, you expect the worse, but when you have to worry about walking about our house, it takes the attention to a whole new level," said Eidemiller.
Eidemiller says he has known the Richmond family for years and has never had problems other than some run-ins with John Junior.
Eidemiller won't go into details about the investigation, instead says it will have to play out in the courts.
Richmond's next court date is set for Dec. 18. He has a criminal history that includes driving while intoxicated, carrying a concealed weapon and possession of drug paraphernalia.
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