Ward 3 city commissioner Olivia Pearson has been arrested and charged with criminal trespass after an incident that happened at the Coffee County elections office about 11:30 a.m. Tuesday.
According to witnesses, Commissioner Pearson was in the office assisting a voter. After completing the voting process, Commissioner Pearson allegedly began pushing buttons on a machine. Election officials asked her to stop but, said witnesses, she refused. The incident became heated and Commissioner Pearson was asked to leave. She eventually left the premises after officials called 911.
Police officers arrived on the scene after she had left. A short time later, Commissioner Pearson returned to the elections office. Officials called police again and another officer responded. He presented Commissioner Pearson with a warning for criminal trespass. Other officers arrived as well. Pearson once again refused to leave even after receiving the warning. As a result, Pearson was arrested and charged with criminal trespass. She was transported to the Coffee County Jail where she was booked and released with a copy of the charges.
In addition to her arrest, she has been banned from any polling place in Coffee County for the remainder of the 2020 election cycle. The incident report states that “Pearson is being banned for disruptive behavior. She may only come to a polling place in order to vote and she has already cast her ballot for this year’s election.”