• Man threatens to “shoot everybody” at Washington County polling place,
A man threatened to “shoot everybody” at a polling place in Washington County after poll workers told him he could not vote Tuesday because he was not registered, Washington County Director of Elections Larry Spahr said.
He said Christopher T. Queen, 48, became irate about 8 a.m. at the South Franklin Fire Hall on Jolly School Road after workers discovered he was not registered to vote.
His registration was canceled in July after election officials were notified that he had moved out of the county, Mr. Spahr said.
His online court paperwork indicates he lives in Claysville, but the Washington Observer-Reporter newspaper said he has an address in Elk County.
Records maintained by the Pennsylvania Department of State indicate Mr. Queen is registered as a Republican in Highland Township in Elk County, the Washington Observer-Reporter said.
“He said he was going to go get a gun and shoot everybody and then he was going to come up here to the elections office,” Mr. Spahr said. “And as a result of that, the sheriff came down and said, ‘Get that door locked, don’t answer it for anyone you don’t know.’”
The sheriff also faxed a picture of Mr. Queen so that election officials could be on alert, Mr. Spahr said.
Election officials notified both the county sheriff and Pennsylvania State Police about the threat, he said. About an hour after the threat was made, police notified Mr. Spahr that they had picked up Mr. Queen, Mr. Spahr said.
Court records show Mr. Queen was charged with making threats and disorderly conduct. He threatened to “get a gun and then return and ‘shoot up’ the polling station,” according to the criminal complaint.
He then quickly left after making the threats and was later found at an address on Old Scales Road in South Franklin Township, according to the complaint.
Mr. Spahr said the polling place remained open and voting continued as normal. He added that he had not experienced such a threat in 38 years on the job, although he has seen trouble between people working for campaigns at the polls.
“You just don’t know anymore, today,” he said.