Idaho attorney general's office says no charges warranted against sheriff after turbulent town hall

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — The Idaho Attorney General's Office has declined to file charges against a northern Idaho sheriff after investigating a turbulent legislative town hall meeting during which a woman was forcibly removed by security dressed in plainclothes.

The chaos at the February meeting in Coeur d'Alene drew widespread attention with videos posted online going viral showing the woman being pulled from the audience after heckling the speakers. The video showed Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris telling Teresa Borrenpohl to leave, and then stepping back and recording on his cellphone as multiple unidentified men approached and began grabbing her, dragging 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.

After the incident, Kootenai County Undersheriff Brett Nelson released a statement saying the agency will have a “complete and independent investigation of the incident conducted by an outside agency.”

In a Nov. 3 letter, the Idaho Attorney General's office said it began the investigation after it received several “public corruption complaints” requesting that the office look into whether the sheriff should be charged with battery. The investigation showed the sheriff, “indisputably had law enforcement jurisdiction at the event,” the attorney general's office wrote, and criminal charges were not merited.

“The investigation did not uncover any evidence to suggest the sheriff acted in bad faith or with malice, and criminal charges would not be appropriate,” the attorney general's office wrote.

Norris did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Borrenpohl, a Democratic legislative candidate who has run unsuccessfully in the deeply Republican region, later filed a tort claim against Kootenai County alleging that her constitutional rights were violated by both the security team and Norris. The county has not yet responded to the tort claim, Borrenpohl's attorney Wendy Olson said.

“The Attorney General, according to his statement, was solely looking at whether the crime of battery was committed by Sheriff Norris. A criminal charge requires proof beyond a reasonable doubt, and the Attorney General’s Office declined based on that standard and based on the evidence it reviewed," Olson said. “Civil cases and constitutional claims are governed by a different burden and require different evidence.”

Olson said Borrenpohl cannot comment further, because she is anticipated to be a witness in upcoming criminal proceedings in Coeur d'Alene.

Prosecutors in northern Idaho filed misdemeanor charges of battery, false imprisonment, and violation of security agent duties and uniform requirements against four security guards in connection with the incident. They pleaded not guilty and are scheduled to stand trial in December.

FILE - Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris speaks during a news conference the day after a shooter ambushed and killed multiple firefighters responding to a wildfire at Canfield Mountain June 30, 2025, in Hayden, Idaho. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. forces in the Caribbean Sea have seized another sanctioned oil tanker the Trump administration says has ties to Venezuela, part of a broader U.S. effort to take control of the South American country’s oil.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wrote Thursday on social media, “Motor Tanker Veronica had previously passed through Venezuelan waters, and was operating in defiance of President Trump’s established quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean.”

A social media post from U.S. Southern Command on the capture said that Marines and sailors launched from the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford to make the capture while Noem’s post noted that, like in previous raids, a U.S. Coast Guard tactical team conducted the boarding and seizure.

Noem posted a brief video that appeared to show part of the ship’s capture. The black-and-white footage showed helicopters hovering over the deck of a merchant vessel while armed troops dropped down on the deck by rope.

The Veronica is the sixth tanker that has been seized by U.S. forces as part of the effort by President Donald Trump’s administration to control the production, refining and global distribution of Venezuela’s oil products, and the fourth since the U.S. ouster of Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro in a surprise nighttime raid almost two weeks ago.

Noem, in her social media post, said that the raid was carried out with “close coordination with our colleagues” in the military as well as the State and Justice departments.

“Our heroic Coast Guard men and women once again ensured a flawlessly executed operation, in accordance with international law,” Noem added.

As with prior posts, Noem and the military framed the seizure as part of an effort to enforce the law. Noem argued that the multiple captures show that “there is no outrunning or escaping American justice.”

However, other officials in Trump's Republican administration have made clear they see it as a way to generate cash as they seek to rebuild Venezuela’s battered oil industry and restore its economy.

Last week, Trump met with executives from oil companies to discuss his goal of investing $100 billion in Venezuela to repair and upgrade its oil production and distribution. His administration has said it expects to sell at least 30 million to 50 million barrels of sanctioned Venezuelan oil.

This story has been corrected to show the Veronica is the fourth, not the third, tanker seized by U.S. forces since Maduro's capture.

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks during a press conference, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks at a news conference at Harry Reid International Airport, Nov. 22, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ronda Churchill, File)