Idaho
Idaho Republican town hall descends into chaos as unidentified men remove activist
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.
PAYETTE — A Payette mom’s bond was revoked Tuesday after she was charged with suffocating her twin children earlier this month and is believed to pose a danger to the life of her newborn child.
The case, which has drawn national headlines, concerns Andrea Renee Shaw, a 23-year-old Payette mother who in May 2025 said her 18-month-old fraternal twins died the same day, after receiving routine childhood vaccinations. In January, Shaw joined as a plaintiff in a federal lawsuit filed by Children’s Health Defense, an anti-vaccine organization founded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., with several other plaintiffs claiming vaccine injury or death.
Kennedy, who now serves as secretary of Health and Human Services, is no longer part of the group after taking on the cabinet position, as was reported by the Associated Press.
In Idaho, the twins’ deaths prompted a 14-month investigation by the Payette County Sheriff’s Department. On June 29, the investigation yielded a grand jury indictment of Shaw on two counts of first-degree murder by suffocation. If convicted, Shaw can be punished by up to life in prison or the death penalty, and the court would have the ability to order the penalties be served consecutively, or back to back.
Tuesday’s arraignment at the Payette County Courthouse was primarily attended by Shaw’s relatives and members of the media. Payette County Judge Kiley Stuchlik, who serves Idaho’s Third Judicial District, presided.
A key consideration for Stuchlik on Tuesday was a request from Joseph Filicetti, the legal counsel for Shaw, to have her bond reduced from $2 million to $100,000. Filicetti said this would allow for Shaw to care for a newborn girl, who, according to court documents, was born by caesarean section on June 25, four days prior to Shaw’s grand jury indictment.
State prosecutors objected to the motion for bond reduction, noting at hand was a potential death penalty case and asserting, unlike her husband, Shaw’s story repeatedly changed during questioning. Prosecuting Attorney Mike Duke said releasing Shaw would ultimately put the newborn’s safety at risk.
“That child is the most at risk. We do not think she should be allowed to be anywhere near any children, let alone her own children,” Duke said.
Stuchlik decided to revoke bond entirely, stating Shaw posed a “risk of safety” to the newborn child that was not known to Stuchlik or prosecutors when the $2 million bond was initially set.
Also for consideration Tuesday was a request to have grand jury transcripts of witness testimony provided to prosecutors and defense counsel to prepare their respective cases.
Idaho
Idaho is home to the nation's first DarkSky Reserve. Now it's home to the nations first DarkSky Certified Resort
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) – A controversy is brewing as the City of Idaho Falls reviews its alcohol ordinance.
The goal is to consolidate four existing ordinances for beer, wine and liquor into a single law and ensure compliance with state code.
However, at its meeting last Thursday, the Idaho Falls City Council unanimously voted to remove the proposed ordinance from its agenda, in order to receive and consider additional public comment.
The proposed ordinance would:
1. Require commercial establishments selling, dispensing or permitting consumption of alcohol – including beer, wine or liquor – to have an alcohol license, alcohol catering permit or a charitable event permit.
2. Business events with 20 or less employees consuming alcohol at the business would be allowed.
3. Require alcohol servers to complete training every three years.
4. Individuals who violate the law could be charged with a misdemeanor.
Idaho Falls City Council President Jim Francis said the changes were the culmination of months of collaboration between law enforcement, business owners and city attorneys.
“We wanted to provide a safe environment – the primary point here – for public gatherings,” Francis said. “We recognize that certain antiquated elements of the current code are overly restrictive and needed to be addressed. We wanted to make the code more accessible to the public. We needed to address over-pouring issues. We wanted to reduce penalties where possible for violations, particularly the first offenses, and yet make the code clear enough to be enforceable consistently by law enforcement.”
But City Council Member John Radford said the changes represent an overreach by city government.
“I believe it’s a bad policy. What problem are we solving in the name of trying to solve a non-problem?” Radford said. “We’re becoming big brother around alcohol in your private property. I’m concerned that landlords will be at risk of being charged with a misdemeanor if they knowingly, which I made sure that was in there, because that is what we’ve been talking about, allowed people to drink in our business. We will be outside the norm of Idaho cities. This is a big step, and I don’t think the public has weighed in on this.”
At a City Council Work Session on June 1, Idaho Falls Chief of Police Bryce Johnson cited an increase in alcohol-related crime – particularly downtown – as a reason for the changes.
“DUI is there, but this would include sexual assaults, assaults, batteries, disturbances, urination, public vandalism, shooting – all sorts of crimes,” Johnson said.
But business owners are concerned about the potential impact on commercial enterprises.
“The ordinance doesn’t address the real problem – which is people drinking … at one event and then showing up in a bar or restaurant already hammered and causing problems anyway,” ” said Terri Ireland, representing the Idaho Falls Downtown Merchants Association. “The industry is really well-regulated by state and local laws already.”
The City of Idaho Falls began the process of updating its alcohol ordinance in January 2026, seeking input from community stakeholders.
Multiple community members spoke out about the ordinance.
For more in-depth information, you can read the full 39-page proposed alcohol ordinance here.
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