Police investigate potential threat against Cd'A mayor

The Coeur d’Alene Police Department is investigating the word choice of a local resident who posted a comment to a Facebook group Wednesday. Some questioned whether the comment was a threat against Mayor Steve Widmyer.

A Facebook user shared a link late Wednesday morning on the Facebook page “We the People of CDA,” which promotes transparency in government. The original thread discussed the intimidation some people might feel addressing a public meeting and linked to an article about good citizenship.

The comment with the perceived threat has since been removed. Viewers can no longer add comments to the thread.

Before that, a dialogue arose among visitors to the online group about their experiences in various public meetings. Coeur d’Alene resident Mary Jo Kringas wrote the following post:

“… speaking up to our Council is not without fear for me,” she wrote. “Mayor Widmyer holds a real estate portfolio worth tens of millions of dollars. A car bomb or paid hit has been mentioned among myself and fellow followers of this page. It is a problem when there is such a wide disparity of wealth between those elected and the people who challenge them.”

The refernece to a car bomb and hitman drew concern from City Hall, prompting a call to the Coeur d’Alene Police Department.

“At this time, we are looking into the matter to see if there’s any validity to it,” Coeur d’Alene Police Capt. Dave Hagar said. “We’ve been made aware of the matter. At this time, there does not appear to be an immediate danger to City Hall or the community.”

Kringas said no harm was intended. “If it was taken as a threat, I certainly apologize,” Kringas later told the Coeur d’Alene Press. “That was not in the context it was written. I’ve never had as much as a speeding ticket, and I’m not the kind of person to break the law.”

Kringas said her intention was the opposite of how some interpreted her meaning. She said she was trying to depict herself as the recipient of death threats.

“I was merely pointing out how I’m afraid to speak to someone who’s worth a hundred times what I’m worth,” she said.

Widmyer said he was troubled by the comments. “People say some different things online and on social media,” the mayor said. “I wish we would get to a point where we debate issues instead of making threats. When my friend showed me that screenshot, I read it as a threat. It had my name, and it talked about a car bomb and a hit man, and it disturbed me. It’s really disturbing.”