Complaint Review: Walt Coiner - Internet

Afelony charge has been filed in Blaine County against a Magic Valley businessman accused of voting twice in last year's November general election.

Walter A. Coiner, a Ketchum resident and an owner of Hollyberry Nursery in Hansen, is charged with illegal voting under Idaho criminal code 18-2306, which provides that "every person who votes more than once at any given election ... is guilty of a felony." The crime is punishable by up to five years in prison and a $1,000 fine.

Walt Coiner is also the Northern Intermountain Division representative on the PSIA-AASI Board of Directors and a 25-year member of the association. He is a past president of Northern Intermountain Division, and served on the divisions board for 15 years. Coiner holds Level III alpine certification, and is a supervisor for the Sun Valley Snowsports School, in Sun Valley, Idaho. He is also a member of the Twin Falls County Tree Commission. Coiner is a relative of Charles Coiner, a Republican state senator from Twin Falls County. It is time to know the truth about Coinerunder his image of active and successful business owner, sky teacher, board director, faithful husband, dog lover, wealthy member of Ketchum society, fun guy and more, Coiner is a shady individual.

He deceived his Ketchum partner for many years, taking a hefty salary to run the Hansen nursery, Coiner left the job to his lifetime employee Andy and his team, several underpaid Mexican workers (some of them illegal). During several years Coiner lied to his partner to the point he was charging his dog Anguss food as business expense. He often abandoned Angus at the farm leaving him with no food for days. The Mexican workers will bring bread or share their food with Angus. The Mexican workers did not have a break room, clean water to drink or wash their hands. They applied pesticides with no training, no signs or warning there were pesticide residues in the plants. But Coiner used to say, they will be ok.Soon the Ketchums partner found out things were not running smooth at the Hansen farm and started investigating. He found out Andy was keeping money from plant sales and reporting false working hours. He also found out that Coiner was not at the farm very often and was not reporting all the business transactions to the partner, but for sure he was sending all the invoices to Ketchum. After several months of scrutiny the Ketchum partner forced the partnership dissolution and Walt Coiner assumed all assets, liabilities and responsibilities of Hollyberry Nursery.

One summer day a female illegal worker broke her food loading a semi-truck with trees. After two surgeries and rehabilitation, she returned to Hollyberry Nursery to work and she did not get her job back. The reason: Coiner was not hiring illegals anymore. A Mormon white male, Kip Wilkerson has taken charge of the operation and all the Mexicans are long gone. Some of them worked for Hollyberry for more than 20 years and were laid off with no compensation of any kind. Coiner often lay off his seasonal Mexican workers without notice and sending the news through his foreman. His Mexican foreman Gene, who was loyal to Coiner since he was a kid, was let go and denied unemployment after Coiner found a Mormon who promised to increase sales by selling to the populated Mormon community in Twin Falls.Kip, who does not know anything about plants or nurseries, uses his wife and kids to finish the job at the farm. He often ride the machinery with his young kid in it. He also uses his own pickup truck to deliver the plants and gives special price to his fellow Mormons in the community. I believe is a good arrangement for Coiner, as he enjoys free labor and the favors and support from the Mormon community.