Latah’s Insurance Could Be Canceled

Latah County’s insurance carrier has warned that the county’s coverage could be cut unless it reverses a trend of litigation against Sheriff Joseph Overstreet.

“A review of claim activity during the most recent two years reveals that an extraordinary number of claims have been registered against Latah County, particularly in the law enforcement-personnel realm,” the Idaho Counties Risk Management Program board of trustees wrote in a letter.

Latah County commissioners made the March 10 letter public on Friday, one week before a deadline for persons gathering signatures to force Overstreet to face a recall election.

Any private insurer would have canceled coverage long ago, according to the letter. But the risk management group is an insurance pool made up of Idaho counties and other political entities.

Latah County, according to records, pays an annual premium of $88,085. Six claims from five former and current employees have been filed against the sheriff, one of them being settled out of court for $123,000. Two tort claims and two lawsuits are pending.

Overstreet denies the allegations and criticized the commissioners and the pool for caving in rather than fighting the cases in court.

“You’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t,” Latah Commissioner Shirley Greene said when asked about the letter becoming public as the recall deadline approaches.

The risk management trustees contend in the letter that other pool members should not have to subsidize the conduct of an elected official who acts without regard to the public consequences.

Overstreet was out of town Friday and could not be reached for comment.