THE VILLAGES (AP) — Three voters from a Florida retirement community that is a GOP stronghold have been arrested on charges of voting more than once.
The arrests come weeks after Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis pledged to create a law enforcement agency to investigate election crimes, despite there being little evidence of electoral malfeasance in the Sunshine State.
The three voters — all residents of The Villages area — were arrested over the past two weeks. They were each charged with casting more than one ballot in the 2020 election after complaints were filed by the Sumter County Supervisor of Elections.
Jay Ketcik, 63, was arrested last week on a charge of third-degree felony fraud. He entered a not guilty plea, and court records show he intends to “attack the sufficiency of the charge.” An arrest report did not detail why he was charged, but Orlando television station WKMG, citing court documents, reported he was accused of voting by mail in Florida in October 2020 while also casting an absentee ballot in Michigan.
Joan Halstead, 71, was arrested two weeks ago for voting in person in Florida and by absentee ballot in New York during the 2020 election, according to an arrest report. She has entered a not guilty plea and also said in court papers she intends to attack “the sufficiency” of the charge.
John Rider, 61, was arrested at the beginning of the month on a similar charge. An arrest report did not say why he was facing the charge. There was no online...
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