Update: Ex-Idaho lawmaker arrested after ‘verbal dispute that turned physical’
A former Idaho Democratic lawmaker and director of the Department of Parks and Recreation was charged with a felony after he allegedly shoved a woman to the ground, according to a criminal complaint filed by the Ada County Prosecutor’s Office.
David Langhorst, 63, was charged with felony aggravated battery, according to the complaint, which was obtained by the Idaho Statesman. He was involved in a “verbal dispute that turned physical” between a woman that he knew, Boise Police Department spokesperson Haley Kramer told the Statesman by email.
Around 10 p.m. Sunday, Langhorst was seated in the driver’s seat of a truck when the woman, who was outside on the driver’s side, stepped up on the truck’s railing and reached over Langhorst to grab her belongings from the passenger side of the vehicle, Kramer said.
He broke the woman’s wrist by pushing her to the pavement, according to police and the complaint. Boise police did not comment on where the alleged battery occurred.
Langhorst could face up to 15 years in prison under Idaho law.
The Boise resident led Idaho’s Department of Parks and Recreation from 2014 until his retirement in 2020. During his tenure, the department built a visitors center at the Lake Cascade State Park.
Langhorst, a Democrat, served as a state representative from 2002 to 2004, and then as a state senator for four years. He represented Boise’s Legislative District 16 during all three terms.
Langhorst was also an appointed member of the Idaho Tax Commission from 2009 to 2014.
He was arrested and booked into the Ada County Jail early Tuesday, according to online jail records. Langhorst is expected to appear in court at 8:30 a.m. Aug. 19 for a preliminary hearing.
This story was originally published August 9, 2022 at 2:55 PM.
