BOISE, IDAHO – The Idaho Attorney General’s Office declined to file charges against a North Idaho sheriff after investigating a case Troubled legislative city hall A meeting during which a woman was forcibly removed by plainclothes security men.
The chaos of the February meeting in Coeur d’Alene attracted widespread attention, with videos posted online showing the woman being dragged from the audience after harassing speakers. The video showed Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris asking Teresa Borenbuhl to leave, then stepping back and recording on his cellphone as several unidentified men approached and began grabbing her, dragging her out of the meeting. The men were security officers at LEAR Asset Management, but they were not wearing any identification or uniform, and witnesses said they repeatedly refused to identify themselves.
After the incident, Kootenai County Undersheriff Brett Nelson issued a statement saying the agency would conduct a “full and independent investigation into the incident conducted by an outside agency.”
In a letter dated November 3, the Idaho Attorney General’s Office said it began the investigation after receiving numerous “public corruption complaints” asking the office to consider whether Al-Sharif should be charged with battery. The investigation showed that the sheriff “unquestionably had law enforcement authority over this event,” the district attorney’s office wrote, and criminal charges were not warranted.
“The investigation revealed no evidence to suggest that the sheriff acted in bad faith or intentionally, and criminal charges would not be appropriate,” the district attorney’s office wrote.
Norris did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Borenbull, the Democratic legislative candidate who ran unsuccessfully in the Republican district, 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, said Wendy Olson, Purinpool’s attorney.
“The prosecutor, according to his statement, was only looking into whether the battery was committed by Sheriff Norris. “A criminal charge requires proof beyond a reasonable doubt, and the prosecutor’s office declined based on that standard and on the evidence it reviewed,” Olson said. “Civil cases and constitutional claims are governed by a different burden and require different evidence.”
Olson said Purinpool could not comment further because she was expected to be a witness in upcoming criminal proceedings in Coeur d’Alene.
Prosecutors in North Idaho filed misdemeanor charges of battery, false imprisonment and violating the duties of a peace agent and uniform requirements Against four security guards Regarding the accident. They have pleaded not guilty and are scheduled to stand trial in December.