New Hampshire police arrested a 70-year-old poet who allegedly slapped a Turning Point Action supporter outside a Laconia elementary school as voters arrived to cast ballots Tuesday.
The Laconia Police Department said officers took Stephen Redic into custody at about 8 a.m. Wednesday. He faces misdemeanor simple-assault charges along with a disorderly-conduct violation.
“We’re not familiar with him, meaning we’ve had no prior contacts,” Laconia Police Chief Matthew Canfield told Fox News Digital on Wednesday.
According to a police statement, Redic approached the Turning Point tent while leaving the area and said he wanted “to read a poem about rich people.”
The poem does not appear in video of the confrontation, which shows the man identified as Redic arguing with the Turning Point representative before becoming increasingly upset.
In the footage, the older man shouts at the representative, raises his middle finger, then appears to slap him across the face before walking away.
“You sit there and dare to look me in the face and say I don’t know anything?” Redic says in the video, his voice becoming hoarse as he points a finger toward the other man.
“That’s what I know,” he continues before delivering the apparent backhanded slap.
As he leaves, Redic is heard saying, “f–k that s–t.” People off-camera then discuss contacting police, while bystanders react with audible surprise.
Turning Point said the person who was struck is 18 years old.
Redic released a poetry collection titled “Tying My Shoes” in 2023. The book includes his claim that he met every U.S. president beginning with Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Redic is scheduled to appear in court for arraignment on Dec. 10.
It was not immediately known Wednesday afternoon whether he had hired an attorney.
Attempts to reach Redic for comment were unsuccessful.
The confrontation occurred 14 months after Turning Point founder Charlie Kirk was assassinated beneath a similar tent at Utah Valley University. Kirk established both Turning Point USA and its affiliated organization, Turning Point Action.
Tyler Robinson, who is accused of killing Kirk, is scheduled for a court hearing Monday that could result in a trial date being set.
Robinson has pleaded not guilty.
