POST FALLS, Idaho — A Jehovah's Witness church member who was threatened by the Post Falls man at the center of a SWAT standoff earlier this week is sharing his story about the incident that was ultimately behind the standoff.
On Tuesday, authorities said a Post Falls police officer attempted to serve a search warrant at the Post Falls home of Thomas Boland, but was shot. The officer, who was shot in his abdomen below a bulletproof vest, is expected to survive.
Following a standoff that lasted into Wednesday morning, authorities located the body of Thomas Boland inside his home on Bentley Place. Investigators haven't commented if Boland was the same suspect who fired at the Post Falls Officer, however.
Boland's warrant was tied to a 2019 sentencing hearing relating to an assault conviction. In 2018, a jury convicted Boland of attempting to attack a group of Jehovah's Witness church members who were distributing literature in his neighborhood.
In March 2018, Mark Prochnau and colleagues were distributing invitations to a Good Friday service when Boland approached Prochnau with one of the fliers in hand.
“As he got closer to me, he crunched it up in his hand and got an angry look, made a fist, and got an angry look on his face," Prochnau told KREM. “And he approached me and started using profanity on me and telling me how he would kill us and kill me. Started swinging his fists at me.”
Prochnau said he feared for his safety along with the safety of other church members and two boys who were distributing pamphlets in the neighborhood.
“He threatened all of us with our lives. He threatened to come into our place of worship, the Kingdom Hall, he said he knew where we met. He sees us all the time there," he said.
Prochnau later called authorities, who cited Boland.
“I got a knot in my stomach. I got sick to my stomach," said Prochnau when he learned that Boland had died following the standoff earlier this week. He offered his condolences to Boland's family.
“It was kind of a sad relief. That’s all I can say about it,” remarked Prochnau, noting that Boland could no longer threaten other church members.