The woman had been heckling speakers and speaking out at a town-hall meeting hosted by local Republicans in Coeur d’Alene, a small city in northern Idaho. The local sheriff asked her to leave, even pulling at her arm at one point and threatening to arrest her, according to videos from the event that have been published online.
Next, men wearing black jackets, and not known to be affiliated with local law enforcement, descended upon the woman, pulled her off the chair and to the floor while she cried out, asking who the men were, using an expletive. They eventually dragged her out of the auditorium.
The woman, Teresa Borrenpohl, a former Democratic candidate for state office in Idaho, argued that everyone should be allowed to speak at a local political event. But organizers of the meeting with state legislators, which was hosted by the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee, said that she repeatedly refused to follow the rules.
The commotion at this high school auditorium in Idaho came as tensions have flared across the country and debates over politically divisive topics, such as abortion, immigration and diversity, equity and inclusion programs, have turned heated at other venues.
About 450 people attended Saturday afternoon’s town hall, said Brent Regan, chairman of the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee. Mr. Regan said he had made an announcement that the town hall was “a private event,” and that attendees would be escorted out of the event by security if they were disruptive. “People were told what the rules were,” he said.
The men who removed Ms. Borrenpohl from the meeting have since been identified by the Republican committee and local law enforcement as plainclothes security personnel with Lear Asset Management, Inc., a private security firm based in California. The City of Coeur d’Alene has revoked the firm’s license, and the chaos has prompted a police investigation into the episode, said Sgt. Jared Reneau, a spokesman with the Coeur d’Alene Police Department.
“I could have never imagined my right to free speech and my right to assemble could be stripped in such a violent way,” Ms. Borrenpohl, who lives in Post Falls, Idaho, and whose background is in education, said in a statement posted on her Instagram account. She could not be reached for comment.
Mr. Regan of the county Republican committee said that extra security had been organized because of a bomb threat that was made against a state Republican lawmaker who was on Saturday’s panel. The security firm “volunteered their services” and was not hired by the committee, Mr. Regan said.
Lear, which was founded in 2012, is a private security company that is licensed in multiple states and whose primary services include business and property security, according to its website. Paul Trouette, the chief executive officer of Lear, did not respond to requests for comment.
Lawmakers at the town-hall meeting spoke about their legislative actions, including changes to Medicaid expansion and school vouchers. Things began to escalate when one of the speakers discussed the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, according to videos. In Idaho, abortion is banned in almost all circumstances.
“Women are dying,” Tamara Sines-Kermelis, a friend of Ms. Borrenpohl’s, yelled at Saturday’s town hall. Others began to call out and interrupt the speakers, prompting the moderator to reprimand those “popping off with stupid remarks,” according to videos posted online.
“Is this a town hall or a lecture?” Ms. Borrenpohl shouted several times.
Moments later, Sheriff Robert Norris of Kootenai County approached Ms. Borrenpohl and told her to leave, threatening to arrest and pepper spray her, according to the videos. Sheriff Norris asked a man dressed in plain clothes to record him as he introduced himself to Ms. Borrenpohl and tried to remove her.
After Ms. Borrenpohl refused to leave, Sheriff Norris gestured to two men beside him, who approached Ms. Borrenpohl and grabbed her arms. Ms. Borrenpohl demanded to know who the men were and asked whether they were sheriff’s deputies, according to videos of the event. Sheriff Norris, who was standing in the aisle recording the altercation, did not respond.
Ms. Sines-Kermelis, who was sitting near Ms. Borrenpohl and also recorded video of the incident, said the men were not marked as security. “All of us around her were saying, ‘Who are you? Where are your badges?’” Ms. Sines-Kermelis said. She added: “It was scary.”
At one point, the two Lear security personnel were on top of Ms. Borrenpohl and trying to zip tie her hands as she lay on her stomach in the aisle, according to Ms. Sines-Kermelis and confirmed by video she recorded from the event. As Ms. Borrenpohl was being held down, some in the crowd cheered.
The security personnel then dragged Ms. Borrenpohl out of the auditorium and into the hallway. She went to the emergency room after the incident, according to Ms. Sines-Kermelis.
Lear’s business license has been revoked for violating city ordinances, which include a provision that requires security personnel uniforms be clearly and visibly marked with the word “Security,” Sergeant Reneau said.
An investigation into what took place at the meeting remains ongoing, Sergeant Reneau said.
The sheriff’s office said in a statement that it would order an independent investigation, though it did not provide any further details.
“The sheriff stands by the fact that he did not do anything wrong,” said Lt. Jeff Howard, a spokesman with the Kootenai County sheriff’s office.
Alicia Abbott, a friend of Ms. Borrenpohl’s who was not at the town hall, organized a GoFundMe campaign to help cover her legal costs. More than 9,000 people had contributed to it by Wednesday.
Ms. Borrenpohl was initially charged with battery and accused of biting a security officer’s finger during the altercation, but Sergeant Reneau said that the charge had been dropped as video evidence and more information had emerged.
Susan C. Beachy contributed research.
