Coeur d'Alene, Idaho: 31 Patriot Front members arrested near Pride event; five convicted of conspiracy to riot

Documented · 06/11/2022

Organized riot conspiracy / targeted intimidation

Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

On June 11, 2022, police in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho stopped a U-Haul truck carrying 31 men, mostly wearing matching clothing, along with riot shields, shin guards, and a smoke grenade, after a 911 caller reported a group loading into the vehicle like a paramilitary unit. Law enforcement said the group, identified as Patriot Front members, had traveled from multiple states and intended to disrupt a Pride in the Park event. All 31 were charged with misdemeanor conspiracy to riot. A jury later convicted five defendants (Devin Center, James Johnson, Forrest Rankin, Derek Smith, and Robert Whitted) at trial; each was sentenced to several days in jail, a $1,000 fine, and a year of unsupervised probation. Roughly twenty other defendants took plea deals to a lesser parading-without-a-permit charge. The charge against Patriot Front founder Thomas Rousseau was dismissed by the trial court in November 2023 after the court found the prosecution had repeatedly failed to properly disclose evidence to the defense; prosecutors appealed that dismissal.

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