Listen to article \u2022\u00a00:00 min<\/p>\n
A Philadelphia resident who threatened to kill and skin an Erie County Republican operative recruiting poll watchers two months before the 2024 election, has been sentenced to 10 months in prison and slapped with a $5,000 fine, federal prosecutors announced Tuesday.<\/p>\n
John Courtney Pollard, 63, who described himself as a stage manager for theater productions<\/a> in a since-removed LinkedIn profile, pleaded guilty in December to making interstate threats. State voting records have Pollard registered as a Democrat in Pennsylvania since at least 2022.<\/p>\n \u201cThis prosecution, and the Court\u2019s sentence of incarceration in the Bureau of Prisons, sends a clear and unmistakable message that threats against election workers and other public servants will be met with swift, certain, and just punishment,\u201d said Troy Rivetti, U.S. attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n The incident began when Donna Reese, Erie County\u2019s new regional election integrity director, a position within the Pennsylvania Republican Party, made a post on her Facebook seeking volunteers to help \u201cobserve at the polls on Election Day.\u201d<\/p>\n Poll watchers are typically appointed by campaigns and other political organizations to report voter intimidation, interference, or other issues. They are separate from poll workers who are supposed to remain neutral as they facilitate voting and are not allowed to wear any garment supporting a candidate or party.<\/p>\n Still, Reese, 61, caused alarm when she ended her call out with \u201clet\u2019s help get Trump back where he belongs \u2014 The White House!!\u201d <\/p>\n Someone screenshot her post and shared it on the Erie subreddit, calling Reese a \u201cTrump wacko.\u201d The Reddit post, which remains online, garnered more than 200 comments and raised questions about whether Reese\u2019s phrasing was inappropriate and opening the door for voter intimidation.<\/p>\n Reese, whose name and party were not made public by federal prosecutors, told The Inquirer that she was interested only in ensuring fair elections. She said that she was used to being criticized for her political views but that she didn\u2019t expect what prosecutors said Pollard did.<\/p>\n Pollard sent a text that said he was interested in being a poll watcher. Within 10 minutes, prosecutors said, Pollard sent three more messages in the form of threats.<\/p>\n \u201cI will KILL YOU IF YOU DON\u2019T ANSWER ME!\u201d read one message; the other two included profanities and told the worker their days were numbered. <\/p>\n The most serious message threatened to skin the worker alive and use the \u201cskin for f \u2014 toilet paper.\u201d<\/p>\n In a victim impact statement, Reese told the court how the \u201cthreatening texts began a yearlong ordeal filled with fear and constant vigilance.\u201d <\/p>\n She told The Inquirer she was already on edge when President Donald Trump<\/a>, then a candidate, was shot at in Butler, Pa.<\/a> Reese said she longed for a resolution when conservative activist Charlie Kirk was killed last fall<\/a>.<\/p>\n Reese asked a strong message be sent to the country \u201cthat there is zero tolerance for making death threats against anyone, especially those serving in political or civic roles.\u201d <\/p>\n \u2018Political violence is real\u2019<\/p>\n