KUNA, Idaho — Michael 'Mick' Heikkola, Kuna resident and Treasure Valley businessman, filed a civil rights lawsuit in federal court against Ada County and seven Ada County sheriff’s deputies serving as Kuna police officers.
- Mick Heikkola was arrested on January 17th, 2023
- He was then charged with resisting and obstructing officers
- Heikkola is demanding a jury trial and monetary damages, citing emotional distress
(Below is the transcript from the broadcast story)
A Kuna man claims he was wrongfully here with the use of excessive force. I’m your Kuna Neighborhood Reporter Allie Triepke with more details on how several sheriff deputies and Ada County are now being named in this lawsuit.
"Yeah I did that, I looked in the police cars, is that a crime?” (Heikkola)
70-year-old Kuna resident, Michael “Mick” Heikkola, is suing Ada County and several sheriff's deputies, after he says he was wrongfully arrested last January, outside the kuna police department, and charged with resisting and obstructing officers.
“There was no reason I should have been questioned, ordered to take my hands out of my pockets, handcuffed and taken to jail, there was no reason for it whatsoever,” (Heikkola)
Heikkola says he was at Kuna’s police department that day to return an unused prescription when,
“Got out of my car, looked into police cars, and a car pulled in and [he] started yelling at me, and started yelling at me, and making commands. I didn’t know he was a police officer, I thought he was a psycho citizen of some sort,” (Heikkola)
That man was Sergeant Brian Keen, who arrived at the police department wearing plain clothes and a Sheriff’s lanyard around his neck, in an unmarked vehicle.
Sheriff reports I requested through Ada County say that Sergeant Keen saw Heikkola attempting to enter a squad vehicle, with a hand on the door handle.
While Heikkola says he was just curiously looking into the cars he ‘pays taxes for’ on his way into the department.
Heikkola says he proceeded into the building, hands in his pockets due to the cold January weather.
That’s when, as Sergeant Keen recalls, Heikkola was “changing in his direction of travel to confront me, and concealing his hand in his shirt, I feared a physical confrontation…”
“He also ran up to me very intimidatingly, trying to bully me. And, I stepped back and put my hand in my pocket and he ordered me to get my hands out of my pocket and, and he was acting like he was going for a gun and I didn't see a gun on his hip. That's when I just kind of freaked out and said ‘F- you,” I turned around and walked into the police station.”
Heikkola returned his unused medication inside.
Meanwhile Sergeant Keen called for back up. After that, Heikkola was confronted with Sergeant Keen and multiple other officers
Sergeant’s reasoningIn the court documents I requested from Ada County, Sergeant Keen says Heikkola had “no valid reason to be in the area,” and responded to him and other uniformed officers with “hostility.”
Heikkola recalls when he was being detained and handcuffed by several officers.
“I kept trying to walk off and that’s when they grabbed me, handcuffed me, and threw me around,”
Since Heikkola has lived in Kuna for over 30 years, I asked if he has had other encounters with the police in the past. He said he didn’t want to comment other than that,
“I can’t remember having, any more than a casual, casual short conversation with a Kuna policeman at all,”
After his arrest, Hiekkola says he can’t look at a police car the same and hopes for some more officer training
“I’m hoping that they can get more training, more training and honoring their oath. Honor to protect us, not treat us like criminals.”
I reached out to the Ada County Sheriff's Office for further comment, who told me they couldn't say anything more outside of the sheriff reports, because of the ongoing lawsuit.
Heikkola is demanding a jury trial and monetary damages, citing emotional distress.
As your Kuna Neighborhood Reporter, I'm going to continue to follow this story. Allie Triepke, for Idaho News 6.
