Former N. Idaho State Trooper Sentenced for Unlawful Arrest

COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho (KLIX)-A former Idaho State Police trooper was sentenced earlier this month for the misdemeanor crime of false arrest in Kootenai County. According to the Kootenai County Prosecutor's office, Joshua Kagarice was given a $500 fine, 60 hours of community service, and a year of unsupervised probation by Magistrate Judge Patrick McFadden on September 7, following his court trial conviction.

The charges stem from a June 2017 incident in Kagarice's neighborhood when his wife sent a message about a car alarm going off in their neighborhood at around 3 a.m. Kagarice responded to the house and the car alarm stopped while he was there, but no one answered the door to the home; Kagarice also pepper sprayed a dog that was in the yard. According to the prosecutor's office, the officer returned later that day in his uniform and patrol car and spoke with the resident, "Mr. Kagarice demanded identifying information from the female who answered the door. The female indicated that she observed Mr. Kagarice spray her dog. The resident further informed Mr. Kagarice that she had called dispatch to determine why law enforcement was at her residence and dispatch had told her there were no complaints and there was no record indicating why law enforcement would be at her residence. When the female resident refused to give her information and attempted to close her door, Mr. Kagarice
prevented her from doing so and ordered her out of the house. Mr. Kagarice took hold of the resident, forced her to the ground and placed her under arrest." The incident happened in front of two kids in the house.

The officer was put on leave during the investigation and then fired from State Police. ISP Captain John Kempf, ISP District 1 released the following statement regarding the case, "The Idaho State Police expect the highest standards of professional conduct among its employees. The victim in this case called ISP with the initial account of what occurred. ISP requested the Kootenai County Sheriff's Office to conduct a follow-up independent criminal investigation, in which ISP cooperated fully. ISP joins the Kootenai County Prosecutor in promoting trust and accountability in the conduct of law enforcement personnel."

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