Charges filed against Luzerne County citizen for disruption

A citizen was charged after being removed from a Luzerne County Election Board meeting on Wednesday. Joe Granteed, a 68-year-old resident of Plains Township, faces several charges including simple assault and disrupting a meeting. The incident occurred when Granteed was speaking during public comments about his belief in using only paper ballots for elections. During his speech, Granteed criticized the board members, claiming their existence was unconstitutional. He continued speaking after his time was up, leading to increased disruptions. The Election Board Chair, Christine Boyle, repeatedly asked him to sit down and remain quiet. When sheriff deputies intervened to remove him, Granteed resisted and physically pushed one of the deputies. Two deputies eventually gained control of Granteed and escorted him out of the meeting room. He left without accepting medical assistance despite claiming he was injured. Video evidence of the incident has been preserved. Granteed has been released on bail after his arraignment on Friday. His comments during the meeting mainly focused on his dissatisfaction with the election board's recent appointment of a Democratic member to the board. Granteed argued that the board lacked equal representation. The meeting was tense, and allegations of misconduct were exchanged between him and the deputies. A local citizens' group has expressed interest in the event, suggesting that the handling of the situation may not have been appropriate. The group is awaiting the release of video footage to understand the full context of the incident.