05-06-2025
Lawsuit dropped against Kootenai sheriff; attorney intends to refile
Jun. 4—A lawsuit alleging Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris falsely suggested during a campaign event that a photographer was a pedophile has been dismissed, according to court records.
Pennie Collinson, a photographer in Coeur d'Alene, originally sued Norris over comments she claims he made to her in July at the Kootenai County Republican Party Primary Election Forum in Cataldo. At the time, Collinson was working as a photographer for a candidate for sheriff. When candidates at the forum began taking questions, Collinson claims Norris pointed her out and accused her of photographing child pornography at the local library.
While other people at the event have corroborated Collinson's claims in interviews and on social media, Norris maintained in a press release last year that he will "expose the extent of this hoax."
The lawsuit was dismissed not because Collinson has chosen to let the claims go, but rather over a small technicality, according to her lawyer, Mark Ellingsen. An Idaho statute requires a plaintiff to pay an undisclosed "bond" or a fee before filing a suit. Collinson and her attorney paid a $5,000 bond after the filing of the suit.
The judge dismissed the suit with prejudice, allowing attorneys to re-file.
"We will file again with the bond," Ellingsen said.
