KOOTENAI COUNTY, Idaho — On Saturday, Teresa Borrenphol was forcibly removed from the audience at a town hall, after repeatedly interrupting speakers.
As of Monday night, the Coeur d'Alene Police Department says the business license for Lear Asset Management, a private security company, has been revoked. Police say the company violated City ordinances regarding security agencies.
Additionally, Coeur d'Alene police say the City Prosecuting Attorney's office has moved to dismiss Teresa Borrenphol's battery charges, after reviewing all evidence and video related to the event.
Witnesses described the event, hosted by the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee, as heated, with many audience members heckling the speakers.
“It was presented as a town hall for our community,” says Borrenpohl’s friend, Megan Kunz.
But, according to committee Chairman Brent Regan, the event rules were laid out clearly.
"We are meeting in a public building. We have public officials, but this is actually a private event. If there's any disturbances where people can't maintain decorum, we have security here and you'll be escorted out,” Regan said in a video posted to his X account.
According to Regan, all 450 attendees were warned twice about the rules. He says Borrenpohl interrupted speakers at least seven times, was warned three times, and asked by Sheriff Bob Norris to leave five times before security intervened.
"And then he also threatened to pepper spray her,” says Kunz.
The video shows security, later identified as private contractors, grabbing Borrenpohl and dragging her out. She was later cited for battery and trespassing after allegedly biting one of the guards.
"He was in plain clothes, asking her to leave and saying, ‘Get her out.’ I was watching in shock, very scared, didn’t know what to do,” says another friend of Borrenpohl’s, Tamara Sines-Kermelis.
While they recognize Sheriff Norris was involved in the incident, the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office distanced itself from the situation, saying in a statement, "There were no Kootenai County deputies or personnel present. The Coeur d’Alene Police Department is handling the investigation."
Borrenpohl, who friends say is known in the community as an advocate, has received bipartisan support, with a GoFundMeraising $30,000 in just hours.
“It’s about free speech and freedom of assembly,” Sines-Kermelis.
The Idaho Democratic Party condemned the incident, calling it a violation of free speech and stating, "It is a very sad day when a woman who voices dissent is physically dragged out of a public venue."
