Idaho town hall meeting turns chaotic after woman is forcibly removed for heckling speakers

Independent

24-02-2025

A Republican-hosted legislative town hall meeting in northern Idaho became turbulent after three plainclothes security workers forcibly removed a woman who was heckling the speakers.
The incident Saturday at Coeur d'Alene High School, first reported by the Coeur d'Alene Press, quickly drew widespread attention after videos of the chaos were posted online.
Now more than $100,000 has been raised for Teresa Borrenpohl's legal costs — she was issued a misdemeanor citation for battery after biting one of the men who tried to drag her from her seat — and critics are saying she was wrongfully detained. Borrenpohl is a Democrat who unsuccessfully ran for a state legislative seat in 2024. She didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press.
'She repeatedly asked them to identify themselves,' said Tonya Coppedge, who was sitting behind Borrenpohl and shot video of the disruption on her cellphone. The men, who were later identified as employees of a private security company, refused, she said. At one point, one of the men bent Borrenpohl's wrist into an extremely flexed position that appeared to be painful, she said.
'They were not very kind to her — it was pretty violent and traumatic,"Coppedge said. 'I think everybody was pretty disturbed by what took place.'
Kootenai County Republican Central Committee Chairman Brent Regan said everyone who attended the event were told that security officials were present and that 'anyone who refused to respect the rights of others would be removed from the event.' Borrenpohl repeatedly interrupted the speakers and was warned at least three times, Regan said.
'We're trying to respect the rights of the 450 people that were there to listen. One person can't stand up to bring a halt to the whole event," Regan said. 'The disruption was more than 18 minutes that we had to stop, and that took time away from the question and answer session.'
Videos of the event show multiple people there were cheering or jeering, including Borrenpohl. After one of the speakers asked the jeering to stop, Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris — also 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.
Borrenpohl repeatedly asked if the men are deputies but was given no answer. She fought to remain in her seat, but the men overpowered her, carrying her out of the venue. Alicia Abbott, a friend of Borrenpohl's who organized a GoFundMe on her behalf, said Borrenpohl and has bruises on her chest from the incident. She suggested Borrenpohl was wrongly detained by the unidentified security workers.
'Who were these people to detain Teresa in the first place?' Abbot asked. 'This is not the first time we've seen this kind of security presence in public meetings or town halls. If they're going to be detaining people, do they even have knowledge of the law? Are they trained to safely remove people?"
The men who physically removed Teresa Borrenpohl from the meeting worked for the private security company LEAR Asset Management, based in Hayden, Idaho. Messages left for its CEO were not immediately returned. The men appeared to have violated Coeur d'Alene City ordinances, which require security personnel to wear uniforms with the word 'Security' clearly marked 'in letters no less than 1-inch tall on the front of the uniform.'
Organizers arranged for extra security at the event after one of the lawmakers told them he had been facing death threats, Regan said. Rep. Jordan Redman, a Republican, had recently been threatened with bombings by an individual on social media, and so KCRCC notified the sheriff and arranged for security, Regan said. The Coeur d'Alene Police Department also had officers stationed in the parking lot outside.
On Monday, 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.'
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