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An Idaho Republican town hall descended into chaos when a protestor was pulled from her seat, wrestled to the ground and dragged out of a packed auditorium by three unidentified private security guards.
Teresa Borrenpohl of Post Falls was asked to leave the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee meeting at Coeur d’Alene High School on Saturday after she and other activists heckled state GOP lawmakers on stage about several bills working their way through the state’s legislature.
Borrenpohl, who unsuccessfully ran for a seat in the Idaho House as a Democrat in November, said she was “seized” after speaking against state Representative Ron Mendive, she told the Couer d’Alene/Post Falls Press.
“Please get up, or you will be escorted out,” Kootenai County Sheriff Robert Norris can be heard saying in a video circulating on social media. Borrenpohl said she didn’t recognize Norris at first when he approached her in the dimly lit room wearing jeans and a baseball cap.
“Who the f*** are you?,” Borrenpohl repeatedly asked Norris as he filmed the encounter in the background.
Meanwhile, the event’s emcee Ed Bejarana taunted the woman over the tannoy system.
“Just look at this. This little girl is afraid to leave. She spoke up and now she doesn’t want to suffer the consequences,” he said. Bejarana accused Borrenpohl and others of “filibustering” as he discussed Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.
After Borrenpohl eventually appeared to recognize the sheriff, one of the men walked towards the woman.
“Excuse me Sheriff Norris… this guy is assaulting me,” she said.
“You, out now. Get her out” Norris replied pointing at Borrenpohl, leading to a second man approaching her.
“Is this your deputy?,” Borrenpohl continued to ask with no response. “Who the f*** are these men? Who are you?”
A third unidentified man then rushed to support as Borrenpohl was dragged to the floor by the wrists and ankles.
Shouts of “step away from her” and “you’re hurting her” can be heard coming from the crowd in the video. Other women are seen holding signs in silent protest, displaying messages such as “Save Voter-Approved Medicaid.”
“Just cooperate, it’ll be 100 times better,” one of the men told Borrenpohl.
After refusing, she was again pulled from her seat before one of the men flopped on her.
Borrepohl was later cited and released for misdemeanor battery after allegedly biting one of the plain-clothed security guards, according to the Coeur d’Alene Police Department.
Police Chief Lee White confirmed Sunday that the three men who dragged Borrenpohl from the meeting worked for LEAR Asset Management, a private security firm. Coeur d’Alene city code requires security personnel to wear uniforms “clearly marked” with the word “security.”
Norris, along with town hall organizers, claimed they had no knowledge of the security personnel or who hired them, according to the Couer d’Alene/Post Falls Press
The sheriff said he was invited to lead the Pledge of Allegiance at the town hall and remained onsite due to a recent threat against state Representative Jordan Redman.
The Kootenai County Republican Central Committee condemned the woman’s actions, and in a statement released Sunday, said: “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.”
The Idaho Democratic Party Chair Lauren Necochea also issued a statement Sunday.
“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 said.
Necochea said that Kootenai County Republicans “did not intend to allow dialogue between legislators and constituents they serve,” adding that it was a “very sad day” watching Borrenpohl being dragged out by the guards and taunted by the moderator.
The Independent has contacted the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee, Kootenai County Sherriff’s Office and LEAR Asset Management for more information.
