Private security guards charged after woman was dragged out of chaotic Idaho town hall meeting
Prosecutors in northern Idaho have filed misdemeanor charges against six men in connection with the forcible removal of a woman from a legislative town hall meeting in February.
Theresa Borrenpohl, the woman who was dragged out of the meeting in a Coeur d'Alene school building by plain-clothed private security officers, also formally notified Kootenai County officials on Monday of her intent to sue by filing a tort claim notice.
The Coeur d'Alene City Prosecutor's office said Monday that Paul Trouette, Russell Dunne, Christofer Berg and Jesse Jones are charged with misdemeanor battery, false imprisonment, and violations of security agent duties and uniform requirements. Alex Trouette IV, is charged with security agent duties and uniform violations. All five of the men are associated with the private security firm Lear Asset Management, which had its license revoked by the city after the town hall.
A sixth man not associated with the security firm, Michael Keller, is charged with misdemeanor battery, the prosecutor's office said.
Court documents detailing the charges have not yet been made public, and the Coeur d'Alene City Prosecutor's office declined to comment further.
Dunne declined to to comment, and neither Berg nor Paul Trouette immediately responded to voice or email messages left by The Associated Press. Phone numbers could not be found for Jones, Keller or Alex Trouette.
Roughly 450 people attended the legislative town hall hosted by the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee, according to organizers. Videos of the event show the room erupting into cheers and jeering at times. At at least one point, Borrenpohl, a Democratic legislative candidate who has run unsuccessfully in the deeply Republican region, joined the shouting.
The video of the event showed Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris, who was in plain clothes but wearing his badge on his belt, approached Borrenpohl. He introduced himself and told her to leave or she would be escorted out. Then the sheriff stepped back and began recording on his cellphone as three unidentified men approached and began grabbing Borrenpohl. The men appeared to refuse Borrenpohl's requests to identify themselves, and none appeared to be wearing uniforms.
After the incident, Kootenai County Undersheriff Brett Nelson released a statement saying the agency will have a 'complete and independent investigation of the incident conducted by an outside agency.'
In a Monday press release, Borrenpohl said she has heard descriptions of similar incidents from people who reached out to her after the town hall, 'reinforcing to me the importance of demanding accountability in my own case.'
'Town halls are intended to foster conversation and discourse across the aisle, which is why I am deeply alarmed that private security dragged me out of the public meeting for simply exercising my fundamental right of free speech,' Borrenpohl said.
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