GALAX, Virginia - October 28, 2008 - Two people were
arrested Monday afternoon after an altercation led to five Republican campaign
workers being sprayed with mace at their headquarters in Galax.
Galax Police Chief Rick Clark said officers were dispatched shortly before 1 p.m. to the Galax Republican headquarters on East Grayson Street when a caller reported someone had sprayed office workers with mace.
Responding officers arrested Daniel Cason Meinecke, 29, and Cara Annis Hindman, 26, both of Galax.
Meinecke was charged with one count of misdemeanor assault, Hindman was charged with five counts of misdemeanor assault.
Galax Republican Chairman Mike Stevens said he was one of the volunteers sprayed. He said a man and woman came into the office and asked for campaign yard signs for the Democratic ticket of Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
After being told the Obama-Biden campaign office was up the street, Stevens said, the man said he was aware of that, but that he thought Democratic signs were being stolen and stashed at the Republican office.
Stevens told him that nobody there had stolen signs, nor were they stashing any in the building.
A confrontation escalated and, Stevens said, the man began to use some four-letter words.
Stevens said there were older women in the office and he asked the couple to leave the building. “With the ladies in the office, I said that was enough and asked them to leave,” he said. “I told them if they had a problem with someone stealing their signs they needed to contact the police department.”