Two days after a woman was dragged from a Coeur d'Alene town hall, Sheriff Bob Norris and other parties will face investigation into conduct

Yahoo

25-02-2025

Feb. 24—Two days after private security guards dragged a woman by her arms out of a legislative town hall in Coeur d'Alene at the signaling of Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris, he and others at the event are now facing investigations into their conduct.
Teresa Borrenpohl was jeering local politicians on the town hall stage Saturday afternoon along with other people in the auditorium at Coeur d'Alene High School. The event had been marketed on Facebook by the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee as a legislative town hall designed to give the public updates from local lawmakers.
Borrenpohl, who ran as a Democrat for Idaho's House of Representatives in 2024, 2022 and 2020, was booing the participants along with other attendees at the meeting when Norris confronted her, identified himself and told her to leave or she would be escorted out, video from the event shows. As she did not comply, Norris grabbed her arm with both hands and attempted to remove her from the town hall. She asked him, "Please don't touch me."
He then admonished people recording his actions. He is seen on video asking Borrenpohl: "Do you want pepper spray? Let's go."
The sheriff then summoned two security guards who eventually wrestled her from her seat and dragged her out of the auditorium as she screamed, "Who are these men?"
The men were later identified by town hall organizer Brent Regan as private security from Lear Asset Management Inc.
Regan, chairman of the KCRCC, said he hired them as a precaution over threats made against a legislator.
After Saturday's chaos, the city of Coeur d'Alene revoked Lear's security license due to their uniforms and behavior, stating that both were in violation of city code, a news release from the Coeur d'Alene Police Department said.
Norris is also poised to be the subject of an outside investigation to determine if his conduct at the meeting violated any policy, according to a separate release from his own sheriff's office. He is expected to make a statement on the matter Tuesday, a sheriff's spokesperson said.
It's unclear which agency will be tasked with investigating any policy violations, but options include the Idaho State Police, Post Falls Police or the Bonner County Sheriff's Office.
In the meantime, Coeur d'Alene Police are conducting a separate investigation into people at the event to determine if anyone violated criminal law.
Police cited Borrenpohl on Saturday night on suspicion of battery from the "limited information" known at the time after she allegedly bit one of the security guards removing her from the town hall, the police department said in a Monday news release. But following the review of more witness videos and other evidence, the Coeur d'Alene City Attorney's Office declined to pursue prosecution.
"Careful consideration of relevant law," the police report and additional information that came to light all contributed to the decision, Deputy Prosecutor Ryan Hunter said via email. A motion to dismiss Borrenpohl's charge will be filed in the coming days.
A GoFundMe set up to help Borrenpohl in retaining legal counsel collected $200,000 from more than 6,000 contributors as of Monday night.
What happened?
Regan said Borrenpohl had shouted six or seven times as lawmakers spoke, so she was warned three times to stop interrupting.
In the video someone is heard saying, "women are dying." The remark is followed by the emcee, Ed Bejarana, saying some guests have "stupid remarks," to which Borrenpohl responds, "is this a town hall or a lecture?"
At some point, Norris approached Borrenpohl, identified himself as the sheriff and claimed she would be arrested if she didn't leave.
The emcee was standing at a podium on stage and told those who were jeering at him that he had a microphone and "will continue to talk over you."
"The reality is, there's a whole bunch of great things that are happening; the problem is we've got a bunch of rabble-rousers who just won't allow it to be spoken," Bejarana said. "So the thing is, what I'm doing up here is, I'm simply over-talking you because your voice is meaningless right now."
Norris then gestured to two men in plainclothes with black jackets. They grabbed Borrenpohl and told her to cooperate as Norris stood by, seen holding his phone as if he's recording video. According to witness footage, Borrenpohl can be heard screaming repeatedly, "Who are these men?" and "Who are these guys?" as one man told her to cooperate.
Both men then pulled her to the floor and grabbed her by her arms and legs. The men rolled her over and dragged her by her arms out the door as she continued to ask people who the men are.
After she was dragged away, Norris is heard in the video asking for two more security workers. The speaker then echoes Norris' request over the microphone, video shows.
Notably, Borrenpohl was confronted by Norris and Lear security after shouting that state Sen. Phil Hart, R-Kellog, had once stolen timber from public land meant for sale to fund public schools in Idaho.
Hart paid the state $2,450 in 2010, the 1996 market value of the logs he had taken to build his home, which he maintained he was legally allowed to do despite three court rulings to the contrary.
First Amendment, other issues up for debate
The security guards who dragged Borrenpohl out of the venue are employees of Lear Asset Management, a California-based security company formed in 2012 that gained renown for its Mendocino County raids on illegal marijuana grows. Lear's website lists its services, including shoplifting prevention, dignitary and VIP protection services, and preventing timber theft on private lands.
Paul Trouette, owner and CEO of Lear, told the Coeur d'Alene City Council last June that his employees wore uniforms that clearly said "Security Contractor" on them so they would be easily distinguishable from law enforcement.
No uniforms are visible in footage of the incident.
Coeur d'Alene City Councilman Dan Gookin said he believed their lack of clothed identification went against a recent city ordinance, to which Trouette objected at the time.
Apart from private security, off-duty police officers occasionally fill in as security officers for private companies as they do at Best Buy on Black Friday. Officers can be hired by groups, said Coeur d'Alene Police Capt. David Hagar, but "we have to make sure we are complying with the law and police policy." Off-duty officers on security jobs are required to dress in full police uniform, Hagar said.
The incident has also raised questions about the First Amendment: Whether or to what extent First Amendment rights were violated could depend in part on whether the town hall was legally a public forum or private event. In a public forum, free speech restrictions must generally be limited to the "time, place and manner" of the speech. While authorities can, in some cases, also restrict the content of speech, they can only do so in a way that is "viewpoint neutral."
Notification for the event was posted on Facebook by the KCRCC and does not indicate the meeting was private or ticketed in any way.
"The KCRCC will be holding a Legislative Town Hall on Saturday, February 22nd, 12:30-2:30 PM, at the Coeur d'Alene High School. This is a great opportunity to meet your Idaho State Legislators and get updates on the 2025 Legislative Session," the post states.
Commentators have noted that Borrenpohl was removed from the event for jeering, while guests who applauded and cheered the speakers were not removed.
"Examples of spaces found by courts to be limited public forums include public school facilities during after school hours and the interior of a city hall," a 2022 post by the University of North Carolina School of Government states.
Regan contends Saturday's town hall was a private event held at a public venue, Coeur d'Alene High School. Though the event was marketed openly by a flyer on Facebook with no tickets or invitation required, Regan announced at the event that the meeting was private since the KCRCC isn't a governmental agency and legislators speaking were "invited guests."
"A private event can be held in a public setting," Regan said. "As soon as it was a private event, it's the same as if it were in your living room. If they start acting up, you can ask them to leave."
Gookin, a member of the KCRCC often at odds with Regan, said he disagrees with Regan's classification of the event as private.
"My contention is, why would you send out flyers to the general public and advertise that this event is happening if this is a private event," Gookin said. "I think they're trying to mince words to justify their actions."
He considered Saturday's setting a public event, though not a public meeting.
The nuance in the distinction, Gookin said, is how the public is expected to participate. He considers city council meetings as "a meeting in public, not a meeting with the public," he said, because the audience can't interact with city officials as they're doing official business, only during periods of public comment and public testimony.
He said at any event or meeting, public or private, the hosts can request anyone leave. If they don't comply, law enforcement can trespass them from the space.
"If someone's being disruptive, you can ask them to leave; you cannot force someone to leave," Gookin said, saying a proper reaction to Borrenpohl would have been to call 911 and have authorities trespass her.
"In your own home, definitely you can drag someone out the front door," Gookin said. "But as far as a public location like that, say you rent the pavilion for a picnic, you don't drag them out by their hair, you call the police."
Though Norris was involved during the whole interaction, Borrenpohl wasn't trespassed. Coeur d'Alene police declined Norris' request to trespass and arrest Borrenpohl.
The police department said in its Monday news release that the department "recognizes and values all rights afforded by the United States Constitution to all citizens" which includes the right to free speech. The incident is "complex," the release said, and detectives are continuing to investigate.
Coeur d'Alene Police Chief Lee White told the Coeur d'Alene Press on Sunday he believed Borrenpohl's removal was inappropriate in the eyes of the First Amendment.
The Coeur d'Alene City Council has since released a statement on Borrenpohl's removal in which they advocate for equal protection under the law "for every citizen" and the decision from the chief of police to investigate the incident.
"We set a clear expectation that the laws of the State of Idaho and the U.S. Constitution will be followed in any interactions with our citizens," the statement, signed by all city council members and the mayor, reads. "As City leaders we have a long history of strongly supporting human rights, civil rights, and dignity for all. Citizens and visitors to Coeur d'Alene can count on these guiding principles."
Borrenpohl declined to comment when reached by phone Sunday afternoon; she later provided a written statement.
"I could never have imagined my right to free speech and my right to assemble could be stripped in such a violent way," she wrote.
Elena Perry's work is funded in part by members of the Spokane community via the Community Journalism and Civic Engagement Fund. This story can be republished by other organizations for free under a Creative Commons license. For more information on this, please contact our newspaper's managing editor.