A Lake County election poll worker has been preliminarily charged with misdemeanor battery after he struck a fellow worker in the face with an extension cord during poll set-up in Highland Monday night.
Officers were summoned to Southridge Elementary School at around 5:17 p.m. Monday to take a battery report, Highland Police spokesman Commander John Banasiak said in an email Tuesday. They first spoke to a woman who told them she was setting up election equipment in the school gym when she and other workers started arguing about the set-up, and a man holding an orange extension cord came up to her and started pointing in her face, he said.
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At some point during the brief exchange, she said the man hit her in the face with the cord, so she then punched him in retaliation before the other workers separated the two, Banasiak said. The officer noted she had redness and slight pain to the right side of her face.
Officers then spoke to the man, who told them the woman was arguing with the other workers and that he did start arguing with her, too, but he said she hit him with a closed fist and “got into his face,” Banasiak said.
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Maintenance staff allowed the officers to view the school’s video security footage, which showed the two were working near each other when the man stepped towards the woman pointing his finger at her, Banasiak said. She started arguing back, at which point the video showed the man hit her on the right side of the face with the extension cord. The woman then hit him back, and the other workers separated them, he said.
Officers arrested and booked the man, who ended up bonding out on the preliminary misdemeanor battery charge, Banasiak said. Highland Police will formally charge the man next week, he said.
Michelle L. Quinn is a freelance writer for the Post-Tribune.
