Idaho officials blame Boise for Greenbelt stabbing, say legal options under review
Two top Idaho lawmakers believe the killing of a 25-year-old man on the Greenbelt this month could have been prevented — and they’re blaming the city of Boise.
Jordan Harbst was riding his scooter along the Greenbelt when 41-year-old Ross Wardlaw allegedly stepped into his path and stabbed him to death, according to previous Statesman reporting. Wardlaw, a homeless man who prosecutors said frequently slept on the Greenbelt and believed people on scooters were after him, was held in custody without bond.
“This attack is a tragedy,” Rep. Bruce Skaug, R-Nampa, said in a news release sent Monday. “But it is even more horrific because it may have been prevented.”
Just under 800 people in Boise were homeless on a single night in January 2025, according to the Point-in-Time count, an annual tally. The city of Boise did not return a request for comment.
Idaho Sen. Codi Galloway, R-Boise, and Skaug co-sponsored a 2025 homelessness bill sometimes known as the “Galloway Law,” which banned public camping in large cities.
Both Skaug and House Speaker Mike Moyle, R-Star, said in the release that Boise wasn’t following that law and both hinted at possible consequences. Skaug suggested that the victim’s family should “consider hiring a wrongful death attorney for possible action against the city of Boise.”
“Moyle and Skaug have requested and been assured, by the Idaho Attorney General, that potential legal options against the City of Boise are being reviewed,” the release said. The Attorney General’s Office did not return an emailed request for comment.
Skaug said the law wasn’t written to criminalize homelessness, but rather to protect people from “mentally unstable people” camping in public.
“If the city of Boise had followed the law, that young man would likely be alive,” Skaug said.
Legislators in the release said the camping ban hasn’t been enforced on the Greenbelt and in city parks, and they want to know why. Moyle, a longtime representative, mentioned Mayor Lauren McLean by name, saying that people shouldn’t “fear for their safety” in the state’s largest city because McLean won’t follow the law.
“The law doesn’t need to be strengthened or changed — it just needs to be followed,” Moyle said in the release. “We are a nation of laws, and Idahoans expect our public officials to follow the law. It is sad and infuriating to see a possibly preventable crime occur because Boise won’t enforce the law.”
Boise Police said they will increase patrols and have officers be more visible in the wake of Harbst’s death and after a man allegedly assaulted and kidnapped a woman walking alone on Saturday.
“We recognize that there are a lot of people concerned about the recent incidents,” Boise Police Lt. Corey Smith said Monday during a news conference. “We’re going to do everything we can to make sure they feel comfortable using the Greenbelt, using the associated parks.”
Boise is a frequent target of state legislators, some of whom spent 2025 and 2026 working to get Boise’s Pride flag down, ultimately succeeding in March of this year.
During the 2026 session, Moyle brought a bill that would allow the Attorney General’s Office to sue governments or officials who don’t follow the law, according to previous Statesman reporting. House Minority Leader Ilana Rubel, D-Boise, told the Statesman at the time she thought the bill was targeting Boise.
Moyle later tried again, proposing a bill to force compliance with state laws, with consequences up to removing elected officials from office.
This story was originally published July 13, 2026 at 5:36 PM.
