Former UI professor arrested in Lewiston

A former University of Idaho professor at the center of a contentious dispute with university leadership was arrested in Lewiston for suspicion of drug possession and burglary Friday.

According to court documents, Denise Bennett is facing charges of burglary and possession of a controlled substance — both felonies — as well as misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia.

Records state that the Lewiston police responded to a report that a phone, charging cables and some clothing had been stolen from a locked camp trailer on the 2700 block of Fourth Avenue North a little after 7 a.m. Friday. The complainant told police that Bennett had been staying with him in the trailer but had moved out two days before. According to police reports, the man said he arrived home to his camp trailer early Friday morning to discover an open window, which appeared to have been broken as someone tried to climb through, and a written note left on a table.

According to a police report, officers with the LPD, Nez Perce Tribal Police and Idaho State Police caught up with Bennett at the Clearwater River Casino Hotel later that morning. The report states Bennett admitted to climbing through the window and taking the phone and charger. When the phone was spotted in her hotel room, she gave it to an officer to be returned to the complainant.

After Bennett gave permission for officers to enter the room, they spotted the alleged paraphernalia — a blue plastic pen tube containing a white crystalline substance — on the floor between two beds, the report said. Upon searching the room, officers discovered a brown zippered pouch containing a piece of tin foil with burn residue on it, a white crystalline substance wrapped in plastic and a liquid vape refill bottle. The report states that field tests of the crystalline substance and vape liquid registered positive for methamphetamine.

Felony possession of methamphetamine and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia carry maximum penalties of seven years in prison and a $15,000 fine, and as much as one year in prison with a $1,000 fine respectively. Felony burglary is punishable with as much as 10 years in prison and carries a minimum sentence of one year in prison.

Bennett posted $5,000 bail Tuesday. A status conference has been scheduled for Monday, with a preliminary hearing slated for Oct. 2.

A former tenured professor with UI’s School of Journalism and Mass Media, Bennett was placed on administrative leave in January after she sent an email to university leadership and others titled “A MANIFESTO FROM A PROFESSOR WHO IS BEYOND FURIOUS.” The email concerned what she said was the school’s poor handling of grant funds and lack of maintenance at the Radio-TV Center on the Moscow campus.

The following Tuesday, Bennett made a live video on Facebook in which she criticized UI and read from a letter listing the university’s reasons for placing her on paid leave.

The next morning, the UI issued a university-wide emergency alert announcing she had been barred from campus, alleging recent methamphetamine use and access to firearms.

The alert was referring to a November incident in which police responded to a domestic dispute involving Bennett. According to the report taken Nov. 4, Bennett told police she had used meth the day before. The guns mentioned in the report were being loaded into a car. Bennett was never charged with a crime in connection with the November dispute

Capt. Tyson Berrett, who heads the campus division of the Moscow Police Department, said at the time Bennett was not considered to be violent or dangerous.

Bennett’s employment with UI was formally terminated earlier this month. She has since indicated she will appeal this decision.

Bennett’s lawyers could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

Scott Jackson can be reached at (208) 883-4636, or by email to sjackson@dnews.com.