Idaho jury convicts security company owner in split verdict over tumultuous town hall

COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho (AP) — A man convicted of battering two people at a turbulent legislative town hall was found not guilty on a count that related a woman who was seen being dragged out in a video that went viral.

The Kootenai County jury returned the split verdict against Paul Trouette on Thursday, finding him guilty of violating rules about security guard uniforms and of two counts of misdemeanor battery for his actions against two people who objected when they saw the woman being dragged out. He was found not guilty of four other charges, including battery and false imprisonment, the Coeur d’Alene Press reported.

The chaos at the February meeting in Coeur d’Alene that drew widespread attention was footage of Teresa Borrenpohl, a Democratic legislative candidate who was pulled from the audience after heckling the speakers. The video showed Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris telling Borrenpohl to leave, and then stepping back and recording on his cellphone as multiple unidentified men approached, grabbed her and dragged her out of the meeting. The men were security officers with LEAR Asset Management, but were not wearing any identification or uniforms, and witnesses said they repeatedly refused to identify themselves.

The Idaho Attorney General’s office declined to bring any charges against the sheriff, but the Coeur d’Alene city prosecutor’s office filed misdemeanor charges against Trouette, who owns the security company. Charges were also initially filed against the other security guards but they were later dropped.

The mixed verdict came after almost eight hours of deliberation, following a three-day trial.

“Justice was done,” the city’s chief deputy prosecutor Ryan Hunter said.

Trouette declined to comment on Friday.

The town hall was organized by the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee, and hundreds of people from the deeply Republican region attended the event. People in the audience sometimes cheered or shouted words of agreement with the lawmakers speaking at the event, while others — including Borrenpohl — voiced their opposition.

Defense counsel for Trouette told jurors that he was acting at the sheriff’s behest and so did not commit any crimes. In Idaho, sheriffs have the authority to command citizens to aid them in the execution of their duties. But prosecutors contended that this immunity did not apply to Trouette because Norris gave him no specific commands to remove or detain anyone.

The men hauled Borrenpohl from her seat and wrestled her to the ground. One sat on top of her, while another knelt on her back. She said they twisted her limbs and pulled her hair.

“It was incredibly painful,” she testified this week. “I was just trying to keep my airway open.”

Borrenpohl later filed a tort claim against Kootenai County alleging that her constitutional rights were violated by both the security team and Norris. Government entities typically have 90 days to respond to tort claims in Idaho, and if they do not, the person who filed it may be able to file a lawsuit. Borrenpohl’s attorney Wendy Olson said in November that the county had not yet responded to the tort claim. She couldn’t be immediately reached for comment on Friday.