This Idaho mayor was charged in son’s shooting. Did New Plymouth voters reelect him?
An Idaho mayor allegedly shot his son in the arm last week.
On Tuesday night, residents from his small community voted to oust him.
New Plymouth Mayor Rick York was arrested by the Payette County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday night after deputies say he shot and injured his 30-year-old son during an argument because his son “got out of hand,” according to an affidavit of probable cause written by law enforcement and reviewed by the Idaho Statesman.
York’s son was taken to the hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries, the Sherrif’s Office said in a news release. The gunshot wound to York’s son’s arm was “deep enough to see bone,” according to the affidavit.
York, who has been the mayor since 2020 and previously spent roughly 20 years on City Council, was soundly beaten by Lisa Binggeli, a real estate agent and certified life coach who will be the town’s next mayor. Binggeli received nearly 75% of the vote in the race, according to election results from the Idaho Secretary of State.
Binggeli says communication lacking between staff, elected officials
New Plymouth is a city of roughly 1,500 people in Payette County, which borders the Oregon border. Binggeli told the Statesman in an interview Tuesday night before the results were in that she’s “grateful no one died” in the shooting and that York’s son was OK, adding that residents across the aisle have shown York and his family compassion.
“We are a small community, and so we do all care about each other no matter who’s running against who,” said Binggeli, who moved to New Plymouth over a decade ago. Attempts to reach York were unsuccessful and his private Boise-based attorney, Aaron Hooper, declined to comment.
Binggeli said the altercation didn’t change her goals for New Plymouth. Binggeli said the mayor’s job is one of service and that communication between elected officials and the city’s staff has been “lacking” during and beyond York’s tenure as mayor.
Binggeli’s main priorities are to improve communication with the city’s staff and with the residents. This would include updating the city’s website and having open meetings with residents to hear their concerns, because right now there isn’t an opportunity for residents to speak openly at council meetings about issues, she said.
“We have a lot of really great people that have really great ideas and they haven’t had a voice,” Binggeli told the Statesman.
Affidavit details argument
York appeared at the Payette County Courthouse on Friday. Online court records showed he was charged with felony aggravated battery, along with two misdemeanors: possession of a weapon with the intent to assault and use of a deadly weapon. If convicted, he could face up to 15 years in prison, according to Idaho law.
After a night at the Payette County Jail, York posted his $75,000 bail and was released from custody, according to minutes from Friday’s hearing that the Statesman reviewed. He appeared at the New Plymouth City Council meeting Monday night, where there was no mention of his criminal case, KTVB reported.
York’s next court appearance is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Monday at the Payette County Courthouse, online court records showed.
The three-page affidavit filed by the Payette County Sheriff’s Office also detailed new information.
The night of the shooting, York’s son came home in an “irritated mood” and drank two beers, along with a shot, York’s wife told police in a statement. York — who was also drinking — and his son were “bickering back and forth” and started “screaming at each other,” the affidavit said.
“(York) told him to get out of the house,” the mayor’s wife said in the statement, according to the affidavit.
York grabbed a small knife, which his wife took from him, according to the affidavit. The Sheriff’s Office said that York then went to his bedroom, grabbed his .367 magnum revolver, came back into the kitchen and pointed the gun at his son, shooting him in the left arm.
“If I wanted to kill my son, I would have shot him in the center of his chest,” York told a detective during an interview, according to the affidavit. “I didn’t shoot him in the leg because there was a possibility of hitting an artery — so I shot him in the arm.”
