Prosecutors drop charges against 2 protesters at FBI-ICE Wilder raid. Here’s why
When federal, state and local law enforcement agencies descended on the small town of Wilder, Idaho, last year as part of an investigation into an illegal horse gambling operation that was used to round up scores of immigrants, four protesters were also arrested.
And when these protesters showed up to try to get answers about the detainment of hundreds of people — including families — they said they were met with force by local officers.
The Canyon County Prosecutor’s Office agreed to drop the criminal charges against two of the protesters, including Avalon Hardy’s case, just before her public defender raised allegations in court filings about excessive force.
Caldwell Police Sgt. Andrew Holmes “had no legal basis for his application of physical force upon Ms. Hardy and this constituted an unlawful seizure,” Deputy Public Defender Morgan Swegles wrote in a March motion, asking the court to suppress any evidence from law enforcement.
Two days earlier, Canyon County asked to dismiss Hardy’s case without explanation in a two-page motion. Joe Decker, a county spokesperson, told the Idaho Statesman that attorneys initially expected to argue that by crossing a police barrier, Hardy had obstructed officers, but once body-camera footage was reviewed, the prosecution learned that others had been allowed to cross by police.
“Because of this, the State could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Ms. Hardy had committed the charged offense,” he wrote in an email.
Another protester’s case was dismissed shortly after an officer reviewed footage of the incident and realized he’d confused the woman with another individual at the scene, Decker added. The other woman was accused of “clenching her fists and attempting to strike an officer” who was trying to move the crowd back, according to the affidavit.
“It would best serve the interest of justice and judicial economy to have this matter dismissed,” Canyon County Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Ingrid Batey wrote.
On Oct. 19, the FBI — with the help of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other agencies — raided La Catedral Arena, where they arrested several people over allegations of illegal gambling and temporarily detained hundreds more. More than 100 of the people detained were undocumented immigrants who were taken into custody, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Hardy was supposed to attend the races that day, but her family slept in, she previously told the Statesman, and when a friend called to tell them not to come after the raid started, she went anyway. “My family, my kids and all that stuff come from immigrants,” she said.
Roughly 30 people, including Hardy, showed up at the horse track and said they were demanding answers about the raid, why legal citizens were being detained and to see a copy of the warrant. As the crowd approached a line of officers from various agencies, including the Caldwell Police Department, people became more agitated, and officers began to ask people to back up, with one of them pushing Hardy back with his baton, video footage showed.
As the officers pushed back the protesters, Hardy yelled at one to stop kicking her broken ankle, according to the video footage. Within seconds, Holmes told her she was under arrest, grabbed her sweater and detained her, the footage showed. She was charged with misdemeanor resisting or obstructing officers.
For the two other protesters arrested, one of them accepted a plea deal and was placed on supervised probation for two years, while the other is expected to go to trial in June, court records showed.
This story was originally published April 23, 2026 at 2:05 PM.
