BOCC issues trespass after alleged threat

By Ben Olson
Reader Staff

Bonner County Commissioner Asia Williams began the June 24 BOCC business meeting with an announcement that the board had taken action after receiving an alleged threat.

Bonner County commissioners at the swearing-in ceremony, from left to right: Asia Williams, Brian Domke and Ron Korn. Photo by Soncirey Mitchell.

“Last week, the board of commissioners received information regarding a threat,” said Williams, who serves as the BOCC chair. “We held an emergency meeting and did a trespass of the individual in question.”

Minutes from the executive session obtained by the Reader via a public records request showed that Commissioners Ron Korn and Brian Domke joined Williams in voting to trespass Lawrence Morton “from all Bonner County owned properties due to threats of injury to Bonner County personnel.”

Morton must call ahead to make an appointment with the appropriate department prior to conducting any county business and, while on site, “will be escorted to transact business and promptly leave.”

A trespass statement issued by the office of Bonner County Prosecutor Louis Marshall stated that his office was presented with a law enforcement report to review for possible charges against Morton due to the June 16 incident.

“Mr. Morton had gone to the Bonner County Assessor’s Office and became upset and confrontational with staff over his refusal to provide documents related to a homeowner’s tax exemption,” Deputy Prosecutor Robert Abel wrote in the report. “Mr. Morton is reported to have made general threats during the confrontation, but no specific threats against specific office personnel were reported.”

Morton reportedly left the office and proceeded to sit in his car in the parking lot of the Bonner County Administration Building, where he was contacted by Sandpoint Police Officer Zachary Fisher, who advised him not to return to the office if he was going to make a scene. Fisher noted that Morton “had a long, scoped rifle sitting in plain view in the back seat” of his vehicle.

Later the same day, SPD received another call from the Assessor’s Office stating that Morton was still in the parking lot and several staff members were afraid to walk to their vehicles, fearing that Morton might harm them. Fisher took a position in the parking lot where he could observe Morton from his vehicle.

“One staff member retrieved a rifle from his own vehicle in order to provide security for the departing office workers,” Abel wrote. “Officer Fisher saw this and asked the office worker to avoid escalating the situation.”

Fisher made contact with Morton again and, when asked why he was still in the lot, Morton replied he was “doing paperwork, and that the parking lot was public property.”

Once most office workers had left, Fisher asked the staff member who was providing security to leave. Morton left the parking lot immediately after and Fisher followed Morton to ensure no one was followed.

The Prosecutor’s Office declined to issue charges for disturbing the peace and exhibition of a deadly weapon, claiming that there was “lack of evidence to prove” Morton committed either crime.