Idaho woman's removal from town hall garners national attention

Sally Krutzig, The Idaho Statesman on Feb 24, 2025

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A legislative town hall in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, has received scrutiny after an interrupting attendee was dragged from the event. Videos of the incident have gone viral.

The Kootenai County Republican Central Committee held a Legislative Town Hall on Saturday afternoon at Coeur d’Alene High School. The committee described the event on Facebook as a “great opportunity to meet your Idaho State Legislators and get updates on the 2025 Legislative Session.”

Videos posted by attendees online showed Teresa Borrenpohl of Post Falls yelling during the event before being pulled from her seat, wrestled to the ground and dragged out.

A video posted to Facebook shows the lead-up to the incident.

A separate video posted by the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee shows its chairman Brent Regan warning the crowd that there is private security at the event and those who can’t maintain decorum would be removed.

Shortly before the confrontation with Borrenpohl begins, an onstage speaker can be heard in the video discussing an anti-abortion bill.

“Women are dying,” says one person.

“And doctors are leaving our state!” another shouts.

The speaker, identified by the Coeur d’Alene Press as the event’s emcee, Ed Bejarana, admonishes those speaking out.

“Folks who are just popping off with stupid remarks, you are not taking into account the people sitting next to you,” Bejarana says in the video. “There’s a bunch of people that came here to hear them.”

“Is this a town hall or a lecture?” Borrenpohl, who lost a 2024 election run for the Idaho House of Representatives District 5B, yells back.

Kootenai County Sheriff Robert Norris, wearing a hat with the word “sheriff” on it, can then be seen motioning for Borrenpohl to get up.

“Get up or be arrested,” Norris tells her.

An eight-minute video posted to YouTube shows the full events of the incident after Borrenpohl was confronted by the sheriff.

After some back and forth, Norris grabs Borrenpohl’s arm. Norris repeatedly asks her to leave, and Borrenpohl repeatedly asks him not to touch her.

At one point, Norris asks Borrenpohl if she wants him to use pepper spray.

Norris eventually gestures to two plainclothes security guards and appears to give them instructions. Norris filmed the guards attempting to pick her up from her seat.

Borrenpohl and others continuously ask the men who they are, whether they are members of law enforcement, and to see their badges.

“Is this your deputy?” Borrenpohl asks Norris in the video. “Who the (expletive) are these men?”

Norris and the men do not appear to answer questions about their identity, but Coeur d’Alene Police Chief Lee White told the Coeur d’Alene Press that they were with private security firm LEAR Asset Management.

Coeur d’Alene city code requires security agents to wear uniforms displaying the word “security” on the front and back of their uniforms, the Press reported. The city revoked LEAR Asset Management’s business license for violating the ordinance, according to Press.

The men forcibly carry Borrenpohl out. A man in the background can be seen in the video holding zip ties, and photos show them being used on her.

The video conflicts with statements later made by Norris to news outlets. The sheriff told KREM that he had walked away to escort another person out of the event and that Borrenpohl was already on the ground by the time he returned. He told the Press that he did not give the security guards any direction.

The Press reported that police cited Borrenpohl for misdemeanor battery for biting one of the men, but the prosecuting attorney’s office has moved to dismiss it after reviewing video.

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