Idaho AG Declines Charges Against Sheriff After Viral Town‑Hall Removal; Private Guards Charged

Idaho AG Declines Criminal Charges for Sheriff After Contentious Town Hall

The Idaho Attorney General's Office has concluded its review and will not pursue criminal charges against Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris over a February legislative town-hall meeting in Coeur d'Alene where a woman was forcibly removed by plainclothes security officers.

Video of the event that circulated widely online shows attendee Teresa Borrenpohl being told to leave by the sheriff. The footage then shows multiple unidentified men approaching, seizing her and dragging her from the audience while the sheriff stepped back and recorded on his cellphone. The men were later identified as security officers employed by LEAR Asset Management, reportedly not wearing uniforms or visible identification and refusing at times to identify themselves.

Following the incident, Kootenai County Undersheriff Brett Nelson said the sheriff’s office would commission "a complete and independent investigation of the incident conducted by an outside agency."

In a Nov. 3 letter, the Attorney General's Office said it opened a review after receiving several "public corruption complaints" asking whether Sheriff Norris should face battery charges. The AG concluded the sheriff "indisputably had law enforcement jurisdiction at the event," and that the evidence did not support criminal prosecution.

"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.

Sheriff Norris did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Borrenpohl, a Democratic candidate for the state legislature in a heavily Republican region, has filed a tort claim against Kootenai County alleging her constitutional rights were violated by both the private security team and by Sheriff Norris. Her attorney, Wendy Olson, said the county has not yet answered the claim and noted the legal standards differ between criminal and civil cases.

"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. She added that civil and constitutional claims are governed by a different burden of proof.

Separately, prosecutors in northern Idaho charged four private security guards involved in the removal with misdemeanors including battery, false imprisonment and violations of security agent duties and uniform requirements. The four pleaded not guilty and are scheduled to stand trial in December.