MCADOO, Pa. — Former Pennsylvania House Majority Leader Todd Eachus faces multiple felony charges following a physical altercation with police officers who forcefully removed him from a Kline Township Planning Commission meeting on Tuesday night.
Eachus, 63, of Drums, was arrested and briefly jailed in the Schuylkill County Prison on four felony counts of aggravated assault, four misdemeanor counts of resisting arrest, and additional related charges.
The incident unfolded at the McAdoo Kelayres Elementary-Middle School during a highly anticipated planning commission hearing focused on a proposed Amazon Web Services data center campus. When Eachus approached the podium during the public comment period, commission members sought to enforce a strict policy permitting only Kline Township residents and property owners to speak. Eachus resides in neighboring Butler Township, Luzerne County.
As Eachus began introducing himself, a commission member began loudly shouting "No" to drown him out, and a contingent of Kline Township police officers immediately advanced toward the podium.
"I’ve been on the House floor, I’ve never been treated like this," Eachus said to the board before officers grabbed him. "You’re not going to let anyone from outside the community who has any potential information that allows our neighbors to understand what we’ve all gone through."
While standard cell phone and media footage from the meeting captured a chaotic scene of officers wrestling Eachus out of the gymnasium, official charging documents filed by police paint a significantly more combative picture. According to the criminal complaint, officers allege that Eachus became loud, began yelling at the board, and actively fought compliance by attempting to punch and bite the arresting officers.
Following his arrest, Eachus was arraigned and held on $10,000 straight bail. He was released from confinement on Wednesday after a judge adjusted his bail terms to 10 percent, allowing him to post the required $1,000.
A preliminary hearing for the former state lawmaker is scheduled for July 15 in Frackville court.
