An Idaho Republican town hall turned chaotic when a woman was dragged out of the event by three private security guards. The incident happened during a Kootenai County Republican Central Committee meeting at Coeur d’Alene High School on Saturday. The woman, Teresa Borrenpohl from Post Falls, was escorted out after she and other activists interrupted state GOP lawmakers speaking about state bills.
Borrenpohl, who had run as a Democrat for the Idaho House last November, said she was “seized” after she spoke out against Representative Ron Mendive. According to Borrenpohl, Sheriff Robert Norris told her, “Please get up, or you will be escorted out,” as heard in a video shared on social media. Borrenpohl didn’t recognize Norris at first, who was wearing jeans and a baseball cap, and asked him repeatedly, “Who the f*** are you?”
While this was happening, event host Ed Bejarana made fun of Borrenpohl over the microphone. He said, “Just look at this. This little girl is afraid to leave. She spoke up and now she doesn’t want to suffer the consequences.”
Once Borrenpohl recognized Norris, she called out, “Excuse me Sheriff Norris… this guy is assaulting me.” Norris responded by pointing at her and ordering, “You, out now. Get her out.” At this point, a second security guard approached her. As Borrenpohl questioned who the men were, a third security guard appeared. The men then dragged her out of her seat, pulling her to the ground by her wrists and ankles.
The crowd responded with shouts like “step away from her” and “you’re hurting her,” while some women in the crowd silently protested with signs, including one that read, “Save Voter-Approved Medicaid.”
One of the guards told Borrenpohl, “Just cooperate, it’ll be 100 times better,” but she refused. The guards continued to remove her from the room, with one of them falling on top of her.
Later, Borrenpohl was cited for misdemeanor battery after allegedly biting one of the security guards, according to the Coeur d’Alene Police Department. Police Chief Lee White confirmed that the three security guards worked for LEAR Asset Management, a private security firm. However, local rules state that security guards should wear uniforms clearly marked with “security,” which the guards did not do.
Sheriff Norris and event organizers later claimed they didn’t know who hired the security guards. Norris explained that he was invited to lead the Pledge of Allegiance at the event and stayed because of a recent threat against Representative Jordan Redman.
The Kootenai County Republican Central Committee criticized Borrenpohl’s actions, saying in a statement, “The group vocally cheered any mention of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, erupting in applause and chants, while loudly booing every reference to the Bible or President Donald Trump, drawing sharp rebukes from attendees.”
In response, Idaho Democratic Party Chair Lauren Necochea issued a statement saying, “Our Democracy rests on our First Amendment rights. If we can’t question leaders elected to represent us without fear of reprisal, we are not free.” She also said the incident showed that Kootenai County Republicans did not want real dialogue with their constituents.
The Independent has reached out to the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee, the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office, and LEAR Asset Management for more information.
Check out the footage of the incident in the report below from KTVB-7 News.
