Coeur d’Alene’s Chief Deputy City Attorney Ryan Hunter confirmed via email Thursday that "charges against several suspects" connected to February’s chaotic KCRCC town hall have officially been filed.
The identities and charges: Paul Trouette faces battery, false imprisonment, security agent uniform violation, and security agent duties violation; Alex Trouette IV faces security agent uniform violation and security agent duties violation; Russell Dunne, Chistofer Berge, and Jesse Jones each face battery, false imprisonment, security agent uniform violation, and security agent duties violation; and Michael Keller is charged with battery.
While criminal charges move forward, larger questions still remain unanswered.
One particularly disturbing element is the conveniently "missing" security footage. Brent Regan, chair of the Kootenai County GOP, initially insisted the crucial wide-angle footage was "corrupted, incomplete, or didn't exist." Yet when police executed a search warrant, 14 raw video files—including the mysteriously vanished footage—magically resurfaced.
More troubling yet, the videographer, Jeremy Lokken, zoomed so closely on audience members' phones that their private messages were readable. Those targeted were the people sitting near Dr. Theressa Borrenpohl. A police officer described Lokken's footage explicitly in his report: “zoom in on people’s cell phones so closely that the messages were readable.” This voyeristic maneuver suggests Lokken—a grown man who reportedly still lives in his parents' basement—may qualify more as a creeper than a legitimate videographer. While Idaho’s criminal statutes on voyeurism are not clear in this situation, victims of this invasive filming may have grounds for a civil invasion-of-privacy action.
Compounding the situation, Lear Asset Management—a California-based private security firm—operated without a valid local business license or a signed contract. The event appears increasingly less like security management and more like targeted political intimidation aimed at a specific individual, utilizing reactive abuse tactics to trigger a response.
We’d all like to know who conceived this alleged scheme and how it all came together.
The criminal charges may address individual wrongdoing, but they won't automatically uncover crucial evidence of any alleged coordination. Accessing messages, emails, or phone records, as well as KCRCC member statements between the KCRCC leadership, Lear Asset Management, and Sheriff Norris, could require a civil lawsuit. Let's hope such evidence hasn't been tampered with or destroyed to avoid accountability. Those involved should act in good faith and follow the rule of law, as AG Labrador recently demanded in his letter to Boise Mayor Lauren McLean regarding the Pride flag controversy.
Public pressure continues mounting online. Coeur d'Alene City Council member Dan Gookin urged the community to contact AG Labrador’s office regarding Sheriff Norris’ involvement in the town hall incident. Labrador won his AG election with the support of the Idaho Freedom Foundation, the organization for which Brent Regan serves as chairman of the board of directors.
Time will tell whether General Labrador actually meant it when he told Mayor McLean, “as elected officials we have a duty to comply with the laws of the land.” Bob Norris, an elected official, refused to speak with detectives about his role in the incident, despite his actions being captured on multiple videos. This in itself does not mean he committed a crime. However, we all saw the videos and watched what he did.
This case will continue to slowly move forward until all those involved face accountability for their actions.
About the Author
Gregory Graf is the creator of Political Potatoes and a lifelong conservative Republican. His articles often criticize the hypocrisy committed by far-right grifters who’ve taken control of the GOP. Graf is the CEO of Snake River Strategies, a strategic communications and political consulting firm based in Eagle, Idaho. You can follow Graf’s work on X, Threads, or Facebook.
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The following is intended to convey an opinion on newsworthy events of public concern regarding public figures and/or public officials in exercising their official duties. No implications or inferences—beyond those explicitly stated in the preceding— are intended to be conveyed or endorsed by the Author. Wherever available, hyperlinks have been provided to allow readers to directly access any underlying assertions of fact upon which this opinion is based.
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I don’t think we have to wait until, “Time will tell…” with Labrador. The minute the words, “as elected officials we have a duty to comply with the laws of the land” left his mouth, we knew he was lying through his teeth.
The only thing missing was the lightning bolt shooting down from the sky.