Coeur d'Alene town hall security detail remains mystery

COEUR d’ALENE — The identities of the men who dragged a woman out a legislative town hall in the Coeur d’Alene High School auditorium on Saturday remain a mystery, with event organizers claiming no knowledge of who arranged the security detail or which company was used.

Kootenai County Republican Central Committee Chair Brent Regan said the group’s legislative committee arranged security for the event but said he didn’t know what company they selected. He said he expected Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris had the details.

“Bob (Norris) was right there,” he said Saturday afternoon. “Nothing was done without him being aware.”

Regan declined to share which central committee members might know more.

“I’m not going to say anything else,” he said.

Jamie Haas, who represents precinct 208 on the central committee and sits on the group’s legislative committee, told The Press she didn’t know who provided security for the event.

“I don’t think there’s anyone who coordinated it,” she said. “I’ve never personally met (the security detail) at all. The legislative committee never talked about it or voted on it or signed any contracts.”

Haas said she understood security at the event was somewhat heightened due to reports of a threat against Rep. Jordan Redman, R-Coeur d’Alene, that occurred earlier in the day. Redman confirmed that Coeur d’Alene police are investigating a threat against his office that originated on social media.

“It could’ve even been the sheriff who coordinated (security), but I’m not sure,” Haas said.

Norris told The Press he came to the legislative town hall to lead the Pledge of Allegiance but remained onsite after because of “an active threat on a legislator and his family.”

He maintained that he didn’t know which company provided security for the event and said he knew nothing about the security arrangements.

“I did not contract with the security company,” he said. “I didn’t have anything to do with the security detail.”

Norris denied giving the unidentified, plainclothes security personnel any direction as they removed Post Falls resident Teresa Borrenpohl from the auditorium and detained her.

Video recordings from the event show Norris approached Borrenpohl as she heckled the legislators and told her to leave. Norris then took Borrenpohl’s arm with both hands and attempted several times to pull her out of her seat.

Norris stepped back, gestured to the unidentified people and pointed them toward Borrenpohl. As the men approached Borrenpohl and she asked who they were, she received no answer. Norris appeared to pull out his phone and record the incident.

“This man is assaulting me,” Borrenpohl shouted.

“You, out, now,” Norris shouted back, still using his phone.

Norris later said that Saturday’s chaos was the result of people who came to the town hall with the intention of disrupting it.

“We didn’t initiate this,” he said.