Bradshaw responds to county arrests

SANDPOINT — Following the arrests of two people at the Jan. 26 quarterly budget meeting, Bonner County Commissioner Steve Bradshaw said safety remains a high concern at the board’s weekly meetings.

Bradshaw said that following disturbances allegedly made by Bonner County resident Rick Cramer at the board’s Jan. 23 meeting, he was asked to leave and the police were called to have him trespassed. However, due to confusion over the proper process of removing someone from a meeting, he was allowed to stay for the rest of the meeting.

During Friday’s budget meeting, both Cramer and Dave Bowman were asked to leave at the start of the meeting. The pair were informed that they were being trespassed from the building for causing repeated disturbances during meetings. When they refused to leave, Sandpoint Police were called and the men were eventually arrested, although it is unclear if they have been formally charged with a crime or what the status of an investigation into the alleged conduct is.

These incidents have created an even greater division in the county, and Bradshaw said the unrest is causing safety concerns for county staff.

“There has been continued disturbances and disorderly behavior to the point that we have not been able to conduct county business,” he said. “This is nothing less than an organized group of insurrectionist[s] that is being orchestrated by the group's leader.”

Bradshaw said that after the Jan. 23 incident, all three commissioners, Prosecutor Louis Marshall, Deputy Prosecutor Bill Wilson, and Sheriff Daryl Wheeler received multiple emails from Dave Bowman, which Bradshaw said he perceived as threatening. The email chain is currently under investigation, but it has raised concerns regarding the public’s and staff’s safety when attending county meetings.

“Prosecutor Marshall and Sheriff Wheeler [don't] consider it a serious threat,” Bradshaw said. “However, with the increase in mass shootings across this nation, we will push this forward to the courts, even if it takes [the Idaho State Police] and the governor's office.”

The District 1 commissioner claimed that the escalation of aggression in commissioners’ meetings has gone unchecked for too long and has quickly gotten out of hand.

“... All the while, a sheriff's deputy is present and refuses to engage,” he said. “[This] is a serious concern for our employees and the public and the elected present.”

Bradshaw said that on several occasions, Wheeler has been present when things start to get out of hand. However, when looked to for help, Bradshaw claimed he has done nothing.

“He sits with legs and arms crossed and just turns away and chuckles,” Bradshaw said. “Totally unacceptable. No accountability, no peace. These things ought not to be.”

The commissioner said the board will continue to take whatever steps are necessary to maintain the safety of the county’s employees as well as the public.