Incident at Dallas County Voting Center Sparks Investigation

The Dallas County sheriff’s office is reviewing a complaint from an election worker who alleges Commissioner John Wiley Price assaulted her while ordering her to leave a voting center before Saturday’s municipal election.

Cynthia Stairs, 63, said she filed a report with police Monday alleging Price knocked her phone from her hand, ordered her out of the precinct and blocked her from returning to her alternate election judge duties.

Dallas Police spokesperson Corbin Rubinson confirmed the department took a report from a complainant about an incident at the precinct.

Because polling locations fall under the authority of the sheriff’s office, Rubinson said the department forwarded all information to the county.

Background of the Incident

In an interview with The Dallas Morning News, Stairs said she arrived at Friendship-West Baptist Church for her assignment Saturday around 5:50 a.m.

When presiding election judge Dianna Jackson arrived minutes later, Stairs said Jackson announced she refused to work with her and began to leave.

Jackson did not respond to two phone calls or a text message requesting comment for this story.

Court records show Stairs was charged with misdemeanor assault on Jackson in November after the two worked early voting for the general election at the same church precinct.

Prior Incident Between Stairs and Jackson

The charging document does not detail the alleged incident.

In her interview with The News, Stairs said “three knuckles” on her right hand accidentally hit Jackson’s elbow while the two were walking through a doorway, prompting Jackson to call for police and an ambulance. Stairs pleaded not guilty and has a bench trial scheduled for June 10.

The Incident Unfolds

On Saturday, Stairs said after Jackson began leaving the precinct, the roughly five or so clerks followed, and Stairs started calling for replacements before polls opened.

About 30 minutes later, Stairs said a man she later identified as Price entered the church “in a rage.”

Elections Administrator Heider Garcia told The News that Price called him at 6:05 a.m. to say there was a problem at the precinct and the commissioner was going to go there.

Alleged Assault by Price

Stairs said Price approached her, and while she had her phone near her face making calls, the commissioner “lifts up his hand high and he whacks my hand and drives (the phone) to the ground.” She said nobody else was inside at the time.

As she picked up her phone, Stairs said Price ordered her to leave.

She said Price didn’t touch her again but used his body as “a driving force with the threat of hitting me with his hands in the air and yelling at me ‘Get out of here, get out of here!’”

Aftermath of the Incident

When she got outside, Stairs said Price stood in front of the door for about 40 minutes and prevented her from going in. She said Jackson and the clerks returned inside.

Stairs said she called 911, but while on the phone, a Dallas County constable arrived after being called by somebody else. Stairs said she told the operator that police were no longer needed.

She said she didn’t recognize the county commissioner at first but realized the man was Price when she saw a truck in the parking lot emblazoned with his name and photo.

Investigation and Response

Rubinson, the Dallas police spokesperson, said an officer arrived at the scene but did not create a case number or write a report Saturday because the person who called 911 later stated police were not needed. He said he could not release the name of the caller.

Stairs said no police officer at the scene spoke with her. She said she spoke with a constable but was not asked if she wanted to file a report and “didn’t even think” to suggest it.

Conclusion of Events

The sheriff’s office began “conducting a review” on Monday about the incident involving Price as the law enforcement agency with jurisdiction over election security, said spokesperson Douglas Sisk.

Price, 75, who has represented District 3 for 40 years, did not respond to a phone call, two text messages or an email to him and his staff requesting comment.

Reactions and Next Steps

In a statement, West said Price should be criminally prosecuted and resign as county commissioner.

“This type of tyranny will no longer be tolerated and accepted,” West stated.

Alisha Trusty, chief strategist for Friendship-West Baptist, said the church had no staff present on election day and does not have security camera footage from that morning.

Conclusion

The incident at the Dallas County voting center has sparked an investigation and raised concerns about election security and the behavior of public officials. The outcome of the investigation and any subsequent actions will be closely watched in the coming days and weeks.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What happened at the Dallas County voting center?

A: An election worker, Cynthia Stairs, alleged that Commissioner John Wiley Price assaulted her and ordered her to leave the voting center before Saturday’s municipal election.

Q: What is the status of the investigation?

A: The Dallas County sheriff’s office is reviewing the complaint and conducting an investigation into the incident.

Q: Has Commissioner Price responded to the allegations?

A: No, Price has not responded to requests for comment.

Q: What are the potential consequences for Commissioner Price?

A: If found guilty of assault, Price could face criminal charges and potentially be removed from office.