COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho — A man convicted of battering two people at a turbulent legislative town hall was found not guilty on a count that related a woman who was seen being dragged out in a video that went viral.
The Kootenai County jury returned the split verdict against Paul Trouette on Thursday, finding him guilty of violating rules about security guard uniforms and of two counts of misdemeanor battery for his actions against two people who objected when they saw the woman being dragged out. He was found not guilty of four other charges, including battery and false imprisonment, the Coeur d'Alene Press reported.
The chaos at the February meeting in Coeur d'Alene that drew widespread attention was footage of Teresa Borrenpohl, a Democratic legislative candidate who was pulled from the audience after heckling the speakers. The video showed Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris telling Borrenpohl to leave, and then stepping back and recording on his cellphone as multiple unidentified men approached, grabbed her and dragged 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.
The Idaho Attorney General's office declined to bring any charges against the sheriff, but the Coeur d'Alene city prosecutor's office filed misdemeanor charges against Trouette, who owns the security company. Charges were also initially filed against the other security guards but they were later dropped.
The mixed verdict came after almost eight hours of deliberation, following a three-day trial.
''Justice was done,'' the city's chief deputy prosecutor Ryan Hunter said.
Trouette declined to comment on Friday.
The town hall was organized by the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee, and hundreds of people from the deeply Republican region attended the event. People in the audience sometimes cheered or shouted words of agreement with the lawmakers speaking at the event, while others — including Borrenpohl — voiced their opposition.
