BUTTE CITY — A local mayor was arrested Friday after the City Council said he became “enraged” and threatened them with a gun during a regular meeting.
It happened in Butte City, which is a community of fewer than 80 people, according to national census data. Butte City is several miles outside of Arco.
Mayor Kevin Turner, 63, is charged with misdemeanor exhibition or use of a deadly weapon.
According to a news release from the Butte County Sheriff’s Office, the situation was resolved with no injuries to officers, first responders or the public.
“An investigation is being conducted into the actions of Butte City’s Mayor Kevin Turner, and further details will be released when appropriate,” according to the release.
Turner was appointed mayor of Butte City in 2024, when the former mayor, Steven Neal, moved out of the area. According to the Butte County Clerk’s office, Turner had been a city councilman since 2012.
Court documents state Butte County Sheriff’s deputies were called to the Butte City Council meeting at 2731 8th Street in Butte City on Thursday, after a report that multiple people were “being threatened by the mayor, Kevin Turner, with a firearm.”
Around 7:20 p.m., deputies arrived and spoke to a group of people outside the building, who said that Turner was inside and had threatened them with a gun. Deputies talked to Turner, who confirmed he was armed but denied that he had been “waving a gun around.”
Turner was then checked for weapons and asked if he had pulled a gun out. Turner allegedly replied that he had “got it out and used his firearm as a gavel to bang on the table.”
According to police reports, deputies say it was later clarified that Turner never took the gun out of the holster, and that he “held the barrel while banging the mag wall against the table.”
Turner told deputies he did this while firing City Councilman Steven Avery. Deputies then secured Turner’s gun, a loaded Hi-Point 45 ACP model JHP. Nine people who attended the meeting, some of whom may be City Council members, provided deputies with written statements.
These witnesses said they “took Kevin’s actions to be threatening and feared for their safety.” Court documents also say that deputies obtained a copy of the audio from the council meeting.
According to court documents, in the audio, Turner can be heard “angrily yelling at Councilman Steven Avery and (a man and woman) alongside loud banging.”
“It appears that once they criticize Mayor Turner, that he becomes enraged and ejects Steven Avery and (a man and woman),” says court documents. “It appears that Erica Turner asks Kevin to calm down, and worriedly yells ‘Kevin!’ when the firearm is introduced.”
Police reports say that at the end of the confrontation, Turner can be heard saying, “I can do whatever I want to do; I’m the mayor!”
EastIdahoNews.com has contacted the Butte County clerk, the Butte County Sheriff’s Office, the Butte County Prosecutor’s Office, the city of Arco, and the city of Butte City for a copy of the City Council meeting audio, which is a public record, but we have not been able to find anyone who has it or who can share it.
The current listed phone number for the city of Butte has been disconnected, and we have not been able to reach them.
According to sources at the city of Arco, Turner’s wife, Erica Lange Turner, is the current acting clerk of Butte City.
During an interview with deputies the next day, Turner claimed he was “acting as the mayor to keep order in the meeting.”
Turner said a man interrupted the meeting to raise an issue. He told the man he could have time at the end of the meeting to address the problem, but the man “would not be silent.”
Turner also said that the man and his wife had “issued threats” to another woman who lives just outside of Butte City.
During the interview, Turner reportedly claimed it is “not normal for him to bring firearms to City Council meetings,” but stated the man’s conduct was getting “out of line, that he was standing and moving toward him.”
Turner claimed he was “starting to feel threatened by (the man’s) actions.”
EastIdahoNews.com reached out to Turner, who declined to comment on the situation. He said he was looking for an attorney.
According to the Butte County Prosecutor’s Office, Turner was arrested on Friday and released on Monday. The bond amount is not clear. Turner appeared for an arraignment on Monday, and further court hearings have not been scheduled.
If convicted, Turner could face up to six months in county jail and a $500 fine.
Though Turner has been charged with these crimes, it does not necessarily mean he committed them. Everyone is presumed innocent until they are proven guilty.
