Local Politician Allegedly Threatens Rafters and Stabs Teenager, Lawsuit Claims

In a shocking incident on the Main Payette River, a group of Idaho men riding what were described as “jet skis” allegedly assaulted a family of rafters. The confrontation, which reportedly involved an elected official, escalated to the point where a river safety knife was held to a mother’s throat, accompanied by a chilling threat: “I will f—ing kill you b—.” The situation intensified when the official allegedly stabbed the woman’s teenage daughter after she attempted to intervene, as detailed in a lawsuit filed against them.

The lawsuit names Boise County Commissioner Darrell “Lindy” Lindstrom as a key figure in the alleged attack. Abby Beard, the plaintiff, claims that she was enjoying a rafting trip with her son and another family member in August 2025 when Lindstrom and his associates approached them near a popular beach recreation area north of Horseshoe Bend.

Despite Lindstrom’s assertion of innocence conveyed to Law&Crime, the accusations paint a grim picture. Beard’s 17-year-old daughter is said to have sustained a “large slash mark” near her knee, penetrating deep into the muscle, following the alleged stabbing incident. Her efforts to disarm Lindstrom reportedly resulted in a hand injury, as noted in the legal documentation.

The complaint further describes the circumstances leading to the violent encounter. It states that the minor, referred to as T.B., gestured at the men due to their reckless and dangerous behavior, which was particularly concerning given the presence of children. T.B., being notably smaller in stature compared to the group of men, was significantly distressed by their actions.

“T.B., the minor, directed gestures at the group of men because they were being reckless, dangerous, and the presence of children was distressing to T.B,” according to the complaint. “T.B. was a minor at the time, and very small in size compared to the group of men.”

The Beards say they got off the river around 6:55 p.m. that evening and were confronted “aggressively” by Lindstrom’s son-in-law, Lloyd Asher, and a “group of men” he was with. The group allegedly asked the family “who wanted to fight,” then pushed Beard to the ground and her daughter into the water and told her, “How do you like that b—.”

The third Beard family member, Treyson Beard, was filming the altercation and caught an unidentified male on video “yelling and threatening” the Beards, as well as another person who was on the beach and stepped in to try and help the family, according to the complaint.

Asher and the unidentified male told the Beards “that they were going to kill them,” per the complaint. Lindstrom was allegedly not with them at the time of this altercation.

“In fear of her life and to protect her children, Abby went to her raft and retrieved her river safety knife, inside its sheath,” the complaint explains. “Abby then demanded that the unidentified adult male and Asher leave the area, ordering them [to] leave her children alone.”

Asher and the man he was with left the beach and went to a “property along the river very close nearby,” according to the complaint. They allegedly had two children with them at the time.

About five minutes later, Asher returned with Lindstrom and three other adult males, including a defendant identified as Bo Fisher, to the beach “seeking a confrontation” and asking who was “gonna get it,” the complaint says.

“I will f—ing kill you,” Asher and Fisher allegedly told the Beards.

“Abby, scared for her life and her children’s lives, removed the knife from its sheath and brandished the knife in the hope to scare off the aggressive and confrontational men,” the complaint alleges. “Lindstrom grabbed Abby and forced her to the ground and attempted to wrestle the knife away from her, by then the knife was back in the sheath.”

Abby Beard claims Lindstrom grabbed the knife and then “held it to her throat stating, ‘I will f—ing kill you b—,’” according to the complaint. “T.B. tried to intervene with the attack on Abby, trying to take the knife from defendant Lindstrom. Defendant Lindstrom stabbed T.B. in the leg and threw the knife in the river.”

A brawl allegedly broke out on the beach, with Fisher attacking Treyson Beard and “punching him in the back of the head” and “beating him,” the complaint says. The Beards allege that the “attack on Treyson resulted in severe facial and dental injuries that required medical and dental attention,” per the complaint.

Lindstrom, who is an elected county official, is accused of also attacking Abby Beard, leaving her with a “small puncture wound in her left arm and a small puncture in her right leg,” the complaint says.

“Lindstrom eventually got off Abby and as she stood up, she saw Treyson was extremely bloody,” the document alleges. “Abby immediately learned that T.B. had been stabbed by a knife.”

The Beards say police reports were filed but they faced “delays and stalls from Boise County authorities.” The Boise County Sheriff’s Office says there is an active investigation into the incident.

“It is unfortunate that an elected official felt so comfortable engaging in the conduct as alleged (and will be proven) in the complaint,” the Beards’ attorney, Terri Pickens, told Law&Crime in a statement. “Because of unexplained delays by law enforcement, my clients had no choice but to initiate a civil action for recovery of damages that resulted from the attacks on them. We are encouraged that the justice system will work and my clients will prevail, albeit with both physical and emotional scars.”

Lindstrom tells Law&Crime that while, at the request of his lawyer, there’s “nothing” he can say about the accusations he is facing specifically, he insists they are untrue.

“The allegations are completely insane,” Lindstrom insists. “All I can say is I’m innocent.”

Asher did not comment on the case, and Fisher could not be reached for comment.