A local man was charged with interfering with an election official, interfering with a voter and assault and battery on a police officer after he allegedly tried to make off with some food poll workers at a Norfolk Street precinct had brought so they wouldn’t have to go out for lunch during Tuesday’s voting.
Police say that Richard Futrell, 46, voted at the polling station for Ward 14, precincts 13 and 14 at the Metropolitan Baptist Church on Norfolk Street at Middleton Street around 12:45 p.m., then made himself a plate of food and tried to walk out with it, only to be confronted by the mostly elderly poll worker, who told him to put the food back. One witness said, “he refused and he challenged the mostly old women to a fight.”
According to a police report, a poll worker who walks with the aid of a cane:
“Informed the suspect the food was not meant for him and that he was not welcome to take part in the buffet. The suspect then grew frustrated with [the poll worker] and insisted he was entitled to a plate of food.”
Futrell then “stepped in her face” and began to berate her and yell, “drawing the attention of the room.”
Another poll worker took back the plate of food.
“The suspect then grew more agitated and continued to rant about President Trump taking away his government assistance and that he is entitled to said food, which continued to create more shock and alarm among the crowd in the room.”
Futrell then stationed himself in front of one of the polling place’s entrances, and poll workers began yelling at him to leave. At that point, the two BPD officers on duty at the polling place stepped in.
“Officer Mulrean informed the suspect that he needed to leave the premises due to his behavior and because he had already placed numerous voters/poll workers in fear for their safety while simply trying to exercise their constitutional right to vote. The suspect refused to leave the building and instead began recording officers. After Officer Mulrean ordered the suspect to leave more than 15 times, the suspect’s response was to repeatedly shout at Officer Mulrean, ‘don’t touch me, don’t touch me, don’t touch me.’ The suspect had shouted at Officers aggressively enough where Officer Mulrean could feel the suspect spitting on him as he yelled.'”
According to the report, the officers next told him several times that if he didn’t leave, they’d forcibly remove him.
And then they tried to guide him out, but Futrell slapped one of the officer’s hands away from his body and then pushed him. Out came the handcuffs. Futrell “began actively resisting,” tensing his body and pulling his arms away, the report states.
After a minute of struggle, the two officers got cuffs on him and took him to District B3 for booking.
Futrell was formally charged with six misdemeanors – assault, assault and battery on a police officer, disturbing a public assembly, interfering with an election official, interfering with a voter and resisting arrest – according to Dorchester Municipal Court records.
The Suffolk County District Attorney’s office asked for bail of $1,000, but Judge Rebeca Figueroa ordered him released on personal recognizance – but with an order to stay away from the poll worker he first tussled with.
