Kootenai County sheriff opens slander probe after Coeur d'Alene crash claims

Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris has opened a slander investigation after a viral claim tied a May 16 crash in Coeur d’Alene to a drunk-driving allegation that his office says was false. The move has put the sheriff’s office at the center of a new accountability fight in Kootenai County, with questions now turning to who could be targeted by the probe and what authority it rests on.

Investigative journalist Casey Whalen reported that Norris opened the probe on May 29 after an interview with an eyewitness about the accident involving former deputy Kirk Kelso. The sheriff’s office said it learned that day of a false report of a drunk-driving incident that allegedly happened on or around May 16 and claimed Norris was involved and intoxicated.

According to the sheriff’s office, the allegation spread from a viral interview with a Raising Cane’s employee identified as London Eden. The office said Eden was wearing a Raising Cane’s uniform and holding company equipment during the interview, which appeared to have taken place in the restaurant’s drive-thru. In a later interview, Eden reportedly said, “Sheriff Norris almost killed me and another employee.”

Norris has denied the claim and the sheriff’s office said he was not in Idaho at the time of the incident. The office also said Norris contacted the sole occupant of the vehicle to wish him a full recovery. Norris said the rumors disrupted what should have been his daughter’s high school graduation evening.

The sheriff’s office reiterated the denial in a June 8 media release, identifying the matter as report #26-21648 and again saying the allegation was false and that Norris was not in the state when the crash occurred. FOX 28 Spokane reported that no charges had been announced related to the false allegations, and local coverage from The Coeur d’Alene Press and Dailyfly also repeated the sheriff’s office denial.

What remains unsettled is whether the slander probe is being treated as a criminal case, a civil referral or something else entirely. It also leaves open a broader public-interest question for Kootenai County: whether a sheriff’s office can investigate sharply worded online accusations without chilling witnesses, journalists or residents who try to scrutinize police conduct after a crash.