John Green
A candidate for Kootenai County Sheriff, Republican Primary, Kootenai County in the 2016 Idaho Primary, May 17
Party: Republican
Age: 65
City: Rathdrum area, Idaho
Occupation: Attorney
John Green and his wife Elizabeth live near Rathdrum, where they built their house in the mid-2000s. They have four children and six grandchildren.
John has been in private law practice since 1993, working primarily in constitutional law, taxation and monetary issues, business law, and small company start-up and operation. He currently concentrates on constitutional issues and serves as general counsel and chief law enforcement advisor to the United States Bill of Rights Foundation.
John began his career as a Texas peace officer, including as a deputy sheriff in Harris County. He claims he wrestled both an alligator and a boa constrictor during his time wearing a badge.
John is licensed to practice law in Washington and Texas. He received his law degree from South Texas College of Law in 1986. He earned a bachelor’s degree in science from the University of Houston in 1982, and a basic police certification in 1977 from Texas A&M University. John also was certified as a law enforcement instructor and a jailer in Texas.
He touts 39 years of professional criminal justice experience, from patrol, investigation, supervision, jail and jail supervision, as well as criminal and civil law. He has worked as a trainer of and advisor to law enforcement officers and agencies.
“No one is above the law and I will honor my oath of office by protecting life, liberty, and property of all citizens,” he said. “I am seeking the office of Kootenai County Sheriff in order to put my education and experience to work to help make Kootenai County a safer place to live.”
Contact information
Race Results
| Candidate | Votes | Pct |
|---|---|---|
| Benton E. “Ben” Wolfinger (R) | 7,778 | 60.89% |
| John Green (R) | 4,996 | 39.11% |
Related Coverage
Traffic stop leads to arrests in connection with drugs, child injury
Two North Dakota residents were arrested on drug charges and injury to a child Saturday night in Post Falls.
Deputies seek help identifying hit-and-run vehicle near Hayden
The Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office is seeking help identifying a vehicle involved in a hit-and-run collision near Hayden, Idaho.
Police name Coeur d’Alene man who died after being pulled from Fernan Lake
A young man who died Monday after being pulled from Fernan Lake was identified Tuesday as Andrew C. Riggs-Wiedmaier, 22, of Coeur d’Alene. Riggs-Wiedmaier was a passenger in a 1997 Ford Ranger that apparently went an embankment and stopped just above the water line just east of Fernan Lake Village about 4:30 a.m. He was pulled out of the water by the driver, Dylan J. Martz, 22, of Coeur d’Alene, and another person, and later died at Kootenai Health, the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office said.
Kootenai County sheriff’s candidates debate need for larger jail
For over a decade Kootenai County officials have wrestled with how to tackle jail crowding knowing that voters don’t want to raise property taxes to pay for a construction project.
Kootenai County candidates differ on proper role of sheriff
The race for sheriff of Kootenai County has gone well beyond a debate over patrol staffing, deputy pay and jail crowding. Rathdrum attorney John Green is challenging Sheriff Ben Wolfinger’s ideological view on the role of sheriff.
Huckleberries: Bachelor party results put Aunt Patty in a tizzy
One of the fond remembrances at the memorial service in Coeur d’Alene for the late Patty Duke (Anna Pearce) was told by nephew Mike Kennedy.
Editorial: Courts interpret, sheriffs enforce
When was the last time you voted for a sheriff based on his or her standing as a scholar? Like most people, you probably wanted the best person to enforce the laws, not interpret them.
Huckleberries: Candidate happy with endorsement from ‘Sheriff Mack’
John Green, a “constitutional sheriff” candidate running in the Kootenai County GOP primary, is delighted to have the endorsement of erstwhile Arizona sheriff Richard Mack, founder of the Constitutional Sheriffs and Police Officers Association.