PRESS: Should have covered Keller trial

President and Publisher Clint Schroeder states “Our responsibility is to earn our readers’ trust every day by producing journalism that is accurate, fair, relevant, and rooted in the communities we proudly serve.” Why then, Mr. Schroeder, did you fail to serve the community by not covering the relevant Michael Keller trial that went on for three days?

The Cd'A Chief Deputy Prosecutor Ryan S. Hunter and the Rathdrum Police Chief Dan Haley, acting as CDA Police’s Criminal Investigator for the KCRCC February Town Hall in 2025, where a woman was being removed for disruption, were going after a retired Navy veteran, Michael Keller, charging him with battery upon a woman. Mr. Keller stepped up and acted as a barrier to prevent a crowd from escalating. Mr. Keller has years of crowd control experience.

The jury found Michael Keller not guilty in a unanimous verdict in a 20-minute deliberation. Video evidence and testimony reveal the woman striking Michael Keller and another woman making unwanted contact with him. Mr. Keller’s defense attorney, Michael Palmer, said, “We’re here because this was a political event and Coeur d’Alene took sides. Because if they didn’t, all three would be here,” suggesting that the criminal investigation was politically motivated. He went on, “If what those women did isn’t battery, which was far more egregious than what this man did, then by their own logic, neither is his action.”

Schroeder states “Strong communities are built on informed citizens.” Why aren’t you informing us citizens?

To view the Michael Keller trial, go to rumble.com, type in Michael Keller trial. Or, YouTube, type in Michael Palmer.

JOANN LOKKEN

Coeur d’Alene