Charges filed against security team at wild CdA town hall event

Prosecutors filed charges Wednesday against private security guards who helped drag a woman out of a Republican town hall earlier this year, according to Coeur d’Alene Chief Deputy Prosecutor Ryan Hunter.

Coeur d’Alene police officers previously recommended battery and false imprisonment charges against five men – Paul Trouette, Alexander Trouette, Christofer Berg, Russell Dunne and Jesse Jones – with California security company Lear Asset Management for allegedly grabbing or removing Teresa Borrenpohl and several other attendees, according to police reports released last week.

Borrenpohl ran as a Democrat for Idaho’s House of Representatives in 2020, 2022 and 2024.

Police listed Alexander Trouette only as an accessory, as there is no footage of him touching or removing anyone, according to police reports. Police also recommended a battery charge against Michael Keller, who officers say inserted himself into the altercation and pushed Borrenpohl’s friend. Keller also had a firearm at the time, reports say, so police recommended charging him with possessing a weapon on school property.

The court documents outlining the charges were not accessible for review on Thursday.

However, Hunter wrote in an email that his office had filed most of the charges recommended by police against the “involved suspects.”

He declined to comment further.

Paul Trouette said Thursday in a phone interview he had only heard that he was charged and didn’t know what he was accused of.

He said the Lear Asset Management team is “extremely confident” about the defense of its employees.

“These charges are absurd, and I think at the end of the situation, it will be remedied,” Paul Trouette said.

The charges stem from Feb. 22 when cellphone videos captured men in black jackets grabbing Borrenpohl and dragging her out as she screamed after she previously booed and made loud statements to lawmakers speaking at the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee town hall at Coeur d’Alene High School.

The men, who did not identify themselves at the time, were working as private security officers for Lear at the town hall.

Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris is not considered a suspect, according to police reports, despite telling Borrenpohl to leave, trying to pull her from her chair and threatening her with pepper spray, video shows. Norris then gestured to the security team, and the men walked over and grabbed Borrenpohl, telling her to cooperate as Norris stood by.

According to the police reports, Gregg Johnson also yelled at Norris around the same time to leave Borrenpohl alone. Norris responded, “You’re out, too” and told Johnson he was “going to jail” for refusing to leave the auditorium because he was concerned about Borrenpohl’s wellbeing.

Norris grabbed Johnson’s arms and pushed his hands multiple times to get him to leave, the reports say.

The sheriff’s office said in a news release two days after the event that an outside agency would conduct an independent investigation into Norris. The sheriff’s office has declined to release the name of the agency.

Norris’ attorney, Kinzo Mihara, wrote in an email earlier this week that he was informed there is an “active case” against Norris.

“Out of respect for all involved, and as an officer of the Court, I must respectfully decline to make any formal comment at this time,” Mihara wrote.

The sheriff’s office could not be reached for comment Thursday.

Police wrote in reports the security members were wearing tactical-type pants and long-sleeved black jackets with no security markings or badges that would indicate they were security, which is a violation of city code. Lear’s license to operate within the city was revoked because of that violation.

Reports indicate Lear had no contract with the KCRCC.

However, part of the security plan stated: “Warn those who are disruptive in the meeting to cease, or they will be removed or (sic) the direction of the Chair.”

The company claims it was only engaging with audience members at the direction of Norris, and they were “under a direct lawful order by Sheriff Norris they could not lawfully refuse.”

Borrenpohl told police she had bruising, soreness and abrasions from the incident.

One Coeur d’Alene police investigator wrote in his reports that most of Borrenpohl’s statements were one sentence and didn’t disrupt the “flow” of the town hall. The cheers sustained by the audience were “more of a disruption than any statement that Teresa made,” the officer wrote.

A GoFundMe account set up to support her legal fight has received about $337,000 from 10,800 donors as of Thursday afternoon.