Kings Mountain mayoral candidate arrested at polls

Kings Mountain, NC - One of the candidates for mayor in Kings Mountain was arrested at the polls and accused of interfering with people who wanted to vote. Seventy-seven year old Eugene Holmes was arrested at a polling site around 8 a.m. Tuesday.

Police Capt. Jerry Tessneer said Holmes faces charges of obstruction of justice, communicating threats and resisting arrest. The Cleveland County Board of Elections said in a statement that Holmes threatened elections board chairman Wayne King.

The statement said Holmes was campaigning outside of the 50-foot buffer zone at the polling location but was shouting obscene statements. It was not clear if he has an attorney.

Holmes lost his bid for election. His campaign grabbed headlines in September when he vowed to "arrest homosexuals."

"I will force the D.A. to take out warrants for anybody that proclaims 'I am gay,'" Holmes told Fox 46 News at the time dispute questions over how he would get the legal authority to execute such an action.

The Associated Press contributed to this report