Poet arrested after slapping teen at Laconia polling place
Police in New Hampshire charged a 70-year-old with simple assault and disorderly conduct following an incident outside an elementary school on Tuesday.
By Marco Kapoor ·
A 70-year-old poet faced criminal charges on Wednesday after slapping an 18-year-old volunteer at a polling site in Laconia, New Hampshire. The incident occurred outside a local elementary school where voters were casting ballots on Tuesday. The victim, a member of Turning Point Action, was working near a recruitment tent when the altercation took place.
The Laconia Police Department arrested Stephen Redic around 8 a.m. on Wednesday. Officers charged him with simple assault, a misdemeanor, and disorderly conduct, a violation. Chief Matthew Canfield told Fox News Digital that the department had no prior contact with Redic. In a press release, the department noted that Redic approached the tent as he was leaving and expressed a desire to read a poem about wealthy people.
Viral video of the encounter captures the escalation. The footage shows Redic raising his voice while the teen attempts to debate him. Redic shouts, “You sit there and dare to look me in the face and say I don’t know anything?” He then shoves his finger in the victim’s face and says, “That’s what I know,” before delivering a backhand slap. As he walks away, he mutters, “f, k that s, t.” Onlookers are heard discussing calling the police.
Redic published a book of poems titled “Tying My Shoes” in 2023. In that work, he claimed to have met every U.S. president since Dwight D. Eisenhower. He is scheduled for an arraignment in court on December 10. As of Wednesday afternoon, it was not clear whether he had retained an attorney. He did not immediately respond to attempts to reach him.
The incident follows a similar event 14 months ago. In that prior case, Charlie Kirk was assassinated under a tent at Utah Valley University. Kirk founded both Turning Point USA and its affiliate, Turning Point Action. The organization describes the victim in this new incident as an 18-year-old member of the group.
The arrest marks the latest development in a dispute that gained national attention through social media clips. The video shows the victim standing near the tent while Redic, appearing increasingly agitated, confronts him. The physical contact resulted in the misdemeanor charge that is now before the local courts.
