County pays $200,000 in settlement
SANDPOINT — Bonner County has agreed to pay $200,000 to David Bowman to settle his free speech lawsuit against the county.
The case stems back to a special meeting in January where Bowman and another community member, Rick Cramer, were trespassed from the building.
Then-Bonner County Commissioner Luke Omodt said the men were trespassed for “disorderly and disruptive behavior” in previous board meetings and because of emails to county officials he said were threatening.
After Omodt asked Cramer and Bowman to leave the meeting and they refused, he performed a citizen’s arrest on the two men with the help of Sandpoint Police; however, neither was booked into county jail.
When Bowman attended the next business meeting, he was once again trespassed, and this time was booked into Bonner County Jail and released on bond. Charges against him were later dropped.
Bowman has stated repeatedly since the incident — and again during Tuesday’s business meeting — that he never threatened county officials.
“I never threatened anyone, ever,” Bowman said Tuesday. “They smeared my name in newspapers and on social media. Omodt even held a press conference at taxpayer expense in a room filled with county employees on the clock to spread lies about me being a danger to county employees.”
Omodt addressed the settlement by saying "Mr. Bowman's conduct and comments speak for themselves."
The county agreed to pay $199,999 as compensation for physical injuries Bowman sustained during what the county’s press release characterized as an illegal arrest, and ejection from two commissioners' meetings. The county also agreed to pay $1 for the violation of Bowman’s civil rights, according to the settlement.
As another part of the settlement, county commissioners released and read a press release in which Bonner County formally apologized to Bowman for “his illegal and unlawful treatment at its hands.”
When asked about the specifics of how the settlement was reached, and why it was approved by the BOCC, Commissioner Asia Williams said that it was based on the recommendation of legal counsel but that she had abstained from the vote to approve the settlement.
“We’re not giving answers out on a settlement,” Williams said. “... the two answers that we are giving out as a board is (sic.), the dollar amount and the press release as brokered in the arrangement. But, in terms of the vote, I specifically stated that I was abstaining from this and the other file that we’ll have to address.”
It is likely that the other file Williams is referencing is ongoing litigation between Cramer and Bonner County stemming from the same incident that has yet to be resolved.
There were many public comments made expressing frustration that the county was paying to settle the claim and not Omodt, who several commenters said they felt was solely at fault for the incidents.
“Dave Bowman deserves what he got,” resident Monica Gunter said during public comment to applause and murmurs of agreement from those in attendance. “They deserve to cover it though; it should not be taxpayer dollars. It should be Luke Omodt and Steve Bradshaw coughing up the $200,000. We did not do anything wrong; they did.”
Williams said that any issues the public had with the settlement would have to be addressed by the Bonner County prosecutor's office.
Omodt indicated that the settlement speaks to the state of the current board.
"Commissioner Williams began her term involved in a lawsuit against the taxpayers of Bonner County; fast forward two years and a $200,000 settlement for one of her cronies after just last week crying that Bonner County was out of money," Omodt said. "Elections have consequences; so does math."