Videos draw condemnation, criticism

SANDPOINT — Videos posted on social media by the chair of the Bonner County Republican Central Committee claiming a possible connection between a woman charged with arson and a local candidate have drawn criticism from the local Democratic Party.

In a press release sent to local media, the party condemned both videos and the fire that destroyed the Army Surplus store, owned by Cornel Rasor, a longtime Republican and candidate for the Idaho House of Representatives 1B seat.

The July 4 fire, reported as the community fireworks show ended a few blocks away at City Beach, destroyed the longtime store. Jennifer Suzanne Meyer, 50, has been charged with first-degree arson in connection with the fire. The bond in the case has been set at $1 million, and a preliminary hearing is set for July 31.

A possible motive in the case has not been announced, and none is apparent in any court documents connected to the case.

In the back-to-back videos, posted Wednesday and Thursday by Scott Herndon, chair of the local Republican central committee and who represents District 1 in the Idaho Senate, Herndon theorized about the case and possible connections in the case between Democratic candidates, the Bonner County Democratic Party, and the suspect.

Bonner County Democratic Party officials criticized both videos, saying Herndon's musings regarding the case are filled with baseless accusations and misinformation designed to politicize a police investigation.

"Democrats are committed to building a community that values truth over partisan rhetoric and critical thinking over partisan emotional attacks," Democratic Party officials said in a statement to local media. "We show our respect for law and order by allowing our law enforcement professionals to do their jobs without publicly promoting rumors, manufacturing controversy, and speaking about a different party candidate's home address during an ongoing investigation into a shocking crime."

Herndon contends he did not accuse anyone of anything in the videos, nor was he spreading misinformation. Instead, he said he merely presented interesting information found in various governmental filings.

"This is an example of the Democrats arguing against a straw man when there are some inconvenient and interesting documents pertaining to members of their party," he wrote in an email to the Bee.

Herndon said the point of his video was to show the "interesting documented connection" between the parties.

In the first video, Herndon notes Meyer, who is the registered owner of a graphic design and sign business, had the same residential address as Steve Johnson, who is running for a county commission seat. A phone number allegedly used by Meyer for her business is allegedly the same as that listed on a foundation website for a farm, which shares an address listed as Johnson's home address.

In the second video, Herndon notes Meyer's current address was on Oak Street, a short distance away from the Army Surplus store, but notes what he contends are "interesting" connections.

"It is, of course, notable that the Army Surplus store is not only a gun store, but it has served for decades as an informal Republican headquarters where signs and decorations are stored and where Republican candidates and volunteers exchange walk cards, campaign paraphernalia, and signs, and Cornel Rasor is the Republican nominee for state representative being challenged by Democrat Kathryn Larson," Herndon said.

However, local Democrats say any attempt to link the fire to any of its candidates or the party itself is irresponsible and an attempt to spread misinformation. While Johnson rented to Meyer for two years beginning in 2017, the party noted that Johnson has had multiple tenants on the property over the years, as have many others in the community, in an effort to provide affordable housing.

"Rather than speculate about why there is any confusion about her address, we defer to the dedicated professionals working to uncover the truth of the case to release the facts at the appropriate time," party officials said in the press release.

Herndon notes that Johnson used Meyer's former employer, Mountain Sky, for campaign materials, and Kathy Larson, who is running against Rasor for the same House 1B seat, purchased campaign materials from Bonner Media. However, local Democratic Party officials note that many candidates, including Republicans Dimitry Borisov and Ron Korn, also did business with the local firm, enjoying the ability to work with a small local business. To imply any connection or collusion with the alleged arsonist simply because they did business there is "ridiculous."

Herndon said he was moved to film the videos after the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, wanting to call attention to what he said was the dangerous rhetoric by the left.

"We've had local violence right here in Sandpoint, Idaho, of a candidate for state representative whose store was burned down, a gun store and the Army Surplus store. And I don't think these things happen in a vacuum," he said before questioning the nature of the ties between the arson suspect and local Democrats.

Citing what he called the "label lynching" of conservative Republicans — being called "fascists," "Nazis," and "dangerous" — Herndon said he would not be surprised if someone listening to the "Democratic rhetoric was inspired to violence."

"The Bonner County Republican Party absolutely condemns violence, arson, and the extreme language that has been used to target certain Republican candidates," he added.

Local Democrats said Herndon's attempts at conjecture are disappointing, with the videos filled with nothing more than baseless allegations and innuendos.

"Our original response remains true," Hal Gates said in a statement following Herndon's second video. "We condemn violence in this community, in all forms, and we stand by our police department as they work to bring this case to its conclusion."

Democratic Party officials called on the community to resist speculation and partisan rhetoric and allow Sandpoint Police to do its work instead of promoting rumors and manufacturing controversy during an ongoing investigation into a shocking crime.

"We would hope our responsible Republican neighbors would agree that there is no place for this type of behavior in our community, and we reject Mr. Herndon’s efforts to further divide us," they said in the statement.