BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A Republican-hosted legislative town hall meeting in northern Idaho descended into chaos 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, drew widespread attention after videos of the turbulence were posted online. Now more than $120,000 has been raised for Teresa Borrenpohl’s legal costs, and the police chief has asked to have the security firm’s business license revoked.
The city attorney’s office also dismissed a misdemeanor battery citation against Borrenpohl “in the interest of justice,” Coeur d’Alene Police Chief Lee White said Monday, and detectives are reviewing video to determine whether the security officers violated any laws.
Roughly 450 people attended the legislative town hall hosted by the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee, said the organization’s chairman Brent Regan. All of them were told that security officers were present, and that “anyone who refused to respect the rights of others would be removed from the event.”
Still, videos show cheers and jeers were erupting throughout the crowd at times — including when one lawmaker mentioned legislation that he said protected doctors from “being forced to do abortions.”
“Women are dying,” one person in the audience shouted. “And doctors are leaving our state!” another yelled. A moderator tried to quiet the crowd, scolding people for “popping off with stupid remarks.”
That’s when Borrenpohl, a Democratic legislative candidate who has run unsuccessfully in the deeply Republican region, began to shout as well.
“Is this a town hall, or a lecture?” she asked, others in the audience echoing the question.
By that point, Borrenpohl had been warned at least three times to stop interrupting the speakers, said Regan.
“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.
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.
Tonya Coppedge, who was sitting behind Borrenpohl and shot video of the disruption on her cellphone, said the men refused her repeated requests to identify themselves. One of the men bent Borrenpohl’s wrist into a flexed position, and later Borrenpohl bit one of the men on the hand as he continued to grab her, Coppedge said.
“They were not very kind to her — it was pretty violent and traumatic,” Coppedge said.
Alicia Abbott, a friend of Borrenpohl’s who organized a GoFundMe on her behalf, said Borrenpohl has bruises from the incident. She suggested Borrenpohl was wrongly detained.
“Who were these people to detain Teresa in the first place?” Abbott 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 worked for the private security company LEAR Asset Management, based in Hayden, Idaho. Messages left for CEO Paul Trouette 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.”
White, the police chief, told The Associated Press, said he had requested the revocation of company’s business licenses and the security agent licenses from the individuals who were involved.
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.”
___Bellisle reported from Seattle.
