Idaho attorney general’s office says no charges warranted against sheriff after turbulent town hall

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BOISE, Idaho (AP) — The Idaho Attorney General’s Office has declined to file charges against a northern Idaho sheriff after investigating a turbulent legislative town hall meeting during which a woman was forcibly removed by security dressed in plainclothes.

The chaos at the February meeting in Coeur d’Alene drew widespread attention with videos posted online going viral showing the woman being pulled from the audience after heckling the speakers. The video showed Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris telling Teresa Borrenpohl to leave, and then stepping back and recording on his cellphone as multiple unidentified men approached and began grabbing her, dragging her out of the meeting. The men were security officers with LEAR Asset Management, but were not wearing any identification or uniforms, and witnesses said they repeatedly refused to identify themselves.

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 Nov. 3 letter, the Idaho Attorney General’s office said it began the investigation after it received several “public corruption complaints” requesting that the office look into whether the sheriff should be charged with battery. The investigation showed the sheriff, “indisputably had law enforcement jurisdiction at the event,” the attorney general’s office wrote, and criminal charges were not merited.

“The investigation did not uncover any evidence to suggest the sheriff acted in bad faith or with malice, and criminal charges would not be appropriate,” the attorney general’s office wrote.

Norris did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Borrenpohl, a Democratic legislative candidate who has run unsuccessfully in the deeply Republican region, later filed a tort claim against Kootenai County alleging that her constitutional rights were violated by both the security team and Norris. The county has not yet responded to the tort claim, Borrenpohl’s attorney Wendy Olson said.

“The Attorney General, according to his statement, was solely looking at whether the crime of battery was committed by Sheriff Norris. A criminal charge requires proof beyond a reasonable doubt, and the Attorney General’s Office declined based on that standard and based on the evidence it reviewed,” Olson said. “Civil cases and constitutional claims are governed by a different burden and require different evidence.”

Olson said Borrenpohl cannot comment further, because she is anticipated to be a witness in upcoming criminal proceedings in Coeur d’Alene.

Prosecutors in northern Idaho filed misdemeanor charges of battery, false imprisonment, and violation of security agent duties and uniform requirements against four security guards in connection with the incident. They pleaded not guilty and are scheduled to stand trial in December.