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Bonner County commissioners cite staff safety after threat; executive session delayed for sheriff
Summary
After a reported threat to county staff, commissioners said they held an emergency meeting, issued a trespass, will perform a root-cause review and have added a sheriff deputy to the county building. An executive session was scheduled but delayed so Sheriff Wheeler could attend.
Bonner County commissioners told the board during a regularly scheduled meeting that they held an emergency meeting last week after receiving information about a threat to county staff and that they issued a trespass against the person involved. "We have to put the safety of the staff and those that come into our building first," the board chair said during opening remarks.
The board said Sheriff Wheeler worked with another county to notify the trespassed individual and that the person is no longer in the area. The chair said the county will conduct a "root cause analysis" of how communication about the incident happened and "how we can improve a process and what we can do better as a county," and that the county does not believe there was "any intentional wrongdoing on anybody's part." The chair also said a sheriff deputy is now assigned to the county building and that changes could be made at the assessor’s and treasurer’s offices to improve safety.
The board announced an executive session that was to open at 11 a.m. but said it would be delayed until 12:30 p.m. "We're going to open the meeting at 11, but we're going to delay it until 12:30 so that Sheriff Wheeler can participate," the chair said, adding the sheriff had an unavoidable appointment at 11:00. The chair also thanked Mike Nielsen's group, CSG, and the Sandpoint Police Department for assistance in removing the threat.
Commissioners said protecting staff safety was the first priority and that a secondary obligation is to protect the county's finances from potential negative impacts. No formal action was recorded on staffing assignments at the meeting beyond the public update and the scheduling adjustment for the executive session.
The board did not release the identity of the person trespassed beyond saying that law enforcement confirmed the person was no longer in the area. The chair said the county will investigate communication gaps related to the incident and share findings with staff.
