A 76-year-old military veteran who was attending a county board meeting in Greeneville, Tennessee, was taken from the room in handcuffs after interrupting proceedings to tell county government officials to speak up — the audience can’t hear you.
The Development Board members were discussing a controversial nitrogen plant in Greene County and company plans to construct a pipeline that would deposit water into the Nolichucky River, WATE-TV said.
Eddie Overholt, 76, couldn’t hear what board members were saying, so he asked them to speak louder.
“The board met up at the front of the room at a big table, had us roped off, and they were talking so low nobody could hear,” Mr. Overholt said, CNN reported.
Mr. Overholt said he only asked for the mayor to speak up, so those in the back of the room could hear the discussions. CNN could not verify that the incident transpired simply as Mr. Overholt described. But CNN also reported that the mayor and the board were already facing a lawsuit from local residents over alleged violations of Open Meetings Law — and that the board that evening did not use microphones that were available in the room. Moreover, CNN said four of the board members actually sat with their backs to the public audience.
Video from CNN shows Mr. Overholt being led from the meeting by police officers, muttering, “OK, I’m under arrest.” CNN also reported that the mayor ordered police to arrest him.
The Blaze reported he was jailed with a $2,000 bond. CNN said he was arrested on charges related to disrupting the meeting and on charges of resisting arrest.
https://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-1154129
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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