COEUR d’ALENE — Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris on Saturday offered insight into his decision to revoke the special deputy status of Coeur d’Alene Police Chief Lee White, Capt. Dave Hagar and Rathdrum Police Chief Dan Haley in December during a town hall with county officials.  

“(There was) an event that occurred, and there was an affidavit and a search warrant admitted to a judge that a kidnapping and a false imprisonment of a human being had occurred at this event — and they listed me as an involved party,” Norris said.

Haley served as CDAPD’s lead investigator into the actions of Norris and others following a legislative town hall in February of last year.  

Although Norris was mentioned in police reports relating to the removal of a woman for disrupting the event, he was never listed as a suspect. 

The Idaho Attorney General concluded in November that he acted within his authority as sheriff. 

In his 35 years in law enforcement, Norris said he has never allowed the kidnapping or false imprisonment of an individual to happen in front of him.  

“So did I rescind, revoke the special deputy status of three individuals?” he said. “Yes, I did.” 

He has since reinstated the special deputy status of Lee and Hagar, but not of Haley.  

Norris emphasized that he has fielded many questions on the matter.

"If they're willing to do that to me, then what are they willing to do to the average person who does not have the protections I do as sheriff?” he said. “This should concern everybody ... because it’s a travesty.” 

The deputy status revocation was one of several topics brought before the panel of county officials at the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee-sponsored event, which was attended by about 100 people at Grace Bible Church.  

Kootenai County Assessor Bèla Kovacs addressed questions over whether his decision to try to deny former chief deputy assessor Allyson Knapp a homeowner’s exemption on her Rathdrum property was politically motivated. 

Commissioners ultimately blocked the move earlier this month, upholding Knapp’s exemption.  

“One of the duties of the assessor's office is to verify eligibility for a homeowner's exemption,” Kovacs said. “That's all it was, and that's all that was done.” 

Knapp intends to run against Kovacs in May’s Republican primary election.  

She initially received the notice of ineligibility in December due to owning a property in Newman Lake, Wash., though she has been registered to vote at her Rathdrum address since 2022.

Kovacs said Saturday that “a lot of protocols and procedures didn’t happen” in the Board of Equalization meetings leading up to the commissioner’s decision.

“We are a border community — that fact alone presents a situation of ‘convenience switching,’” he said.

The property in question is only 4 miles from the state line, he added.

“Sometimes we just ask questions, and those questions can be perceived as threatening,” he said.

Commissioner Bruce Mattare was present but did not respond to Kovacs’ comments.

    Kootenai County Assessor Bèla Kovacs speaks at Saturday's town hall event at Grace Bible Church in Coeur d'Alene.
  

    Around 100 people sat in on a Kootenai County Republican Central Committee town hall with elected officials on Saturday at Grace Bible Church in Coeur d'Alene.