Idaho Sheriff Is Accused of Pointing Gun at Woman Who Delivered a Thank-You Card

When Chelsea Cox dropped disconnected a paper astatine the sheriff’s house, she did not expect to person a weapon pointed astatine her forehead.

She had driven immoderate girls from her religion to his location successful Blackfoot, Idaho, connected the evening of Nov. 9. They taped a “thankful turkey” paper to the doorway and sprinted backmost to the car, according to an affidavit filed this period by the Idaho lawyer general’s office. The transportation was expected to beryllium a bully surprise.

But the sheriff, Craig Rowland of Bingham County, Idaho, saw them and thought that they were casing the neighborhood, according to the affidavit.

He brought his work weapon extracurricular and waved astatine the car to halt driving. Ms. Cox, a household friend, stopped the car and opened the door.

“We are conscionable present to driblet thing disconnected for Lisa,” she said, referring to the sheriff’s wife, according to the affidavit.

The sheriff yanked Ms. Cox retired of the car by her hair, according to the affidavit.

As Ms. Cox explained who she was, Sheriff Rowland held the weapon 2 inches from her forehead. “I volition sprout you,” helium said, utilizing an expletive, according to the affidavit.

“Get retired of here,” helium added.

The adjacent morning, helium told Chief Scott Gay of the Blackfoot Police Department that helium “had truly screwed up,” according to the affidavit. The constabulary main reported the confrontation to the authorities authorities.

But the confrontation would not gully attraction for different month, with the filing of the affidavit, which was reported earlier by the Post Register successful Idaho. Sheriff Rowland was charged with aggravated battery, aggravated battle and accumulation oregon usage of a deadly weapon.

It was unclear what punishment the sheriff would look if convicted. The Idaho lawyer general’s bureau did not respond to telephone calls connected Sunday. The sheriff appeared successful tribunal past week.

The sheriff and his lawyer, Justin B. Oleson, did not respond to telephone calls connected Sunday.

A fig of section officials person called connected Sheriff Rowland to resign due to the fact that of the confrontation and immoderate comments helium made afterward.

In an interrogation with authorities investigators, helium made disparaging comments astir Native Americans from a adjacent reservation, the affidavit said.

“I’ve had drunk Indians thrust down my cul-de-sac. I’ve had drunk Indians travel to my door,” helium said successful an interrogation with authorities investigators, according to the affidavit. “We person a batch of preservation radical astir america that are not bully people.”

Blackfoot, which is astir 200 miles eastbound of Boise, is adjacent the Fort Hall Reservation, wherever the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes live. The tribes said successful a statement this period that the confrontation did not impact its members.

Devon Boyer, the president of the Fort Hall Business Council, the tribes’ governing body, called connected the sheriff to resign. Mr. Boyer said successful the connection that the sheriff’s actions proved “racism inactive exists.”

“Rowland’s usage of radical slurs astir ‘Indians’ is highly offensive,” helium added.

In abstracted statements, the section section of the Fraternal Order of Police, a constabulary organization, and Marc Carroll, the politician of Blackfoot, some called connected Sheriff Rowland, who has held the presumption since 2012, to measurement down.

“We find Sheriff Rowland’s comments to beryllium repulsive,” Mr. Carroll said.

Sheriff Rowland’s colleagues successful the sheriff’s bureau did not denounce his actions successful a statement past week, but they said they valued their narration with the adjacent tribes.

Ms. Cox did not respond to telephone calls connected Sunday, but she told authorities investigators that she “really got scared” erstwhile it became wide that Sheriff Rowland did not admit her.

Ms. Cox lived down the roadworthy from him and helium kept a trailer connected her property, according to the affidavit.

That is apt wherefore she did not deliberation determination would beryllium immoderate problems erstwhile she dropped disconnected a “thankful turkey” astatine his house.