CANTON, Miss.–Yelling and poll workers and even calling an elderly woman a “baboon’s ass” has led to the arrest of a Democratic Executive Committee members, Madison County Sheriff Randy Tucker told media. Forty-one-year-old Kimberly Readus was taken away in handcuffs Tuesday as votes were being cast in the Democratic Primary run-off that saw incumbent Mayor Dr. William Truly defeated.
News Mississippi affiliate WMGO reported the arrest on their website. Readus was accused of becoming loud and abusive as she observed the vote count. That’s when deputies intervened and asked her to be quiet and quit disturbing the process.
WMGO Report on Election Arrest (AUDIO)
Witnesses told media she got into an argument with an older lady and called her a “baboon’s ass”.
This is only the latest incident in Canton’s election process. In the May 7 primary, it took several days to get official, certified tallies due to a paper jam. That ended up being a paper ballot stuck in a machine from the 2012 presidential election. There were other hold-ups, too in that process.
Then Alderman Louis Smith was arrested by the feds on what may be an unrelated bribery charge, as the votes were being counted and he was learning of his defeat after four terms.
