Confusion over Kootenai Sheriff’s involvement in chaotic town hall

KOOTENAI COUNTY, Idaho — A wild scene at a Kootenai County Republican Central Committee (KCRCC) town hall over the weekend has many questioning Sheriff Bob Norris’ involvement in the now-viral incident.

On Saturday, chaos erupted at a KCRCC town hall when Dr. Teresa Borrenpohl was forcibly removed from the meeting by two security guards.

KCRCC said multiple people were removed from the town hall for making repeated disruptions.

Dr. Borrenpohl, a former Democratic candidate for the Idaho House of Representatives, and other attendees, showed up for the town hall to voice their disagreements with the speaking legislators.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Multiple Democrats forcibly removed from Kootenai County Republican Central Committee town hall

Video of the incident appears to show Sheriff Norris telling the two guards to remove Dr. Borrenpohl as she asks him if the men were his deputies.

The security guards were not deputies, but instead, employees of private security firm, Lear Asset Management.

The company’s business license was suspended on Monday after CDA Police determined the company was in violation of city ordinances requiring security staff to be clearly marked.

Coeur d’Alene Police Department is now investigating the incident and recommending the Prosecutor’s Office drop battery charges against Dr. Borrenpohl, who was accused of biting one of the security agents.

Some Kootenai County Democrats who attended the town hall said they could feel the tension in the auditorium and that Sheriff Norris was out of line.

In one video of the incident, Sheriff Norris can be seen grabbing Dr. Borrenpohl in an effort to get her to leave.

“He started saying things like, ‘you guys are wrong for speaking’ and he kept saying things that I thought were very inappropriate for what they were calling a town hall,” said meeting attendee, Tonya Coppedge.

Sheriff Norris can also be seen in videos of the incident filming the encounter on his phone and ignoring questions about whether or not the security guards were his deputies.

“As far as I know, KCRCC was saying that Sheriff Norris was working with [the security guards] and Sheriff Norris said he had no idea who they were,” Coppedge said.

4 News Now reached out to KCSO to try to get in touch with Sheriff Norris, but was told he will not be commenting on the incident or the police investigation.

A GoFundMe account set up to help Dr. Borrenpohl with legal fees has already raised over $140,000.

CDAPD’s investigation is still ongoing, but said in a statement on Monday that the department “values all rights afforded by the United States Constitution to all citizens, including the right to free speech.”