Two top Idaho lawmakers on Monday publicly blamed the City of Boise for what they say was a failure to enforce a 2025 state law prohibiting camping in public spaces after the slaying of 25-year-old Jordan Harbst along the Boise River Greenbelt earlier this month.
Lawmakers press city on enforcement
House Speaker Mike Moyle and Rep. Bruce Skaug, R-Nampa, issued a news release saying Boise has not followed the Legislature’s 2025 measure, S1141a, which requires cities to bar overnight stays in public places and to remove encampments. The lawmakers suggested that the lack of enforcement may have helped create conditions that led to the attack.
"This attack is a tragedy," Rep. Bruce Skaug said. "But it is even more horrific because it may have been prevented."
The release also said legislative leaders have asked the Idaho attorney general to explore possible legal actions against Boise for not carrying out the law as written. The attorney general’s office and Boise’s mayor were contacted for comment; KTVB reported outreach to both.
Suspect’s background and police response
Court records show the man charged in Harbst’s killing, identified in those records as Ross Allen Wardlaw Jr., is 41 and has a long history of arrests in Idaho dating to his teenage years. Records describe him as experiencing homelessness and having multiple encounters with the criminal justice system since the early 2000s.
Boise Police announced Monday they are increasing patrols along the Greenbelt and at nearby parks and urged residents to be cautious after two recent, apparently unrelated assaults in the same area. Prosecutors also brought initial charges Monday in a second case. A 26-year-old man from Ontario, Oregon, pleaded in court after being accused of a weekend attack on a woman on the Greenbelt that prosecutors described as random.
What the 2025 law requires
S1141a, enacted in 2025, directs cities to enforce bans on camping in public places and to clear encampments. The law is cited by lawmakers as the standard that should have been applied to areas such as the Greenbelt and city parks.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Victim | Jordan Harbst, 25 |
| Accused | Ross Allen Wardlaw Jr., 41 (court records show long criminal history) |
| Relevant law | S1141a (2025) — requires cities to ban camping in public places and clear encampments |
| Police action | Increased patrols on Greenbelt and nearby parks |
Local implications and questions ahead
The exchange highlights a broader tension between state lawmakers and municipal officials over how to handle homelessness, public safety and enforcement priorities. Lawmakers say they need answers from Boise about why the city has not enforced the camping prohibition along the Greenbelt. City leaders and the mayor’s office have not yet publicly outlined their position in response to the lawmakers’ release.
For neighbors and visitors to the Greenbelt, the immediate effect has been heightened police presence and renewed caution. The episode also raises questions about how enforcement of state laws intersects with local capacity, civil rights concerns and efforts to address homelessness through services rather than policing.
- Lawmakers requested the state attorney general review legal options against the city.
- Boise Police increased patrols after the fatal stabbing and a separate apparent random attack.
- Court records show the accused has a decades-long criminal history and is described as homeless.
As the investigation continues, Boise residents can expect more visible policing along the river corridor while officials at multiple levels sort through enforcement, public-safety and legal questions that cropped up in the aftermath of the killing.
