ORLANDO, Fla. — Three residents of The Villages were recently arrested and face charges of casting more than one vote during the 2020 election, according to affidavits.
Joan Halstead, Jay Ketcik and John Rider all face felony charges of casting more than one ballot in an election, arrest reports provided by the office of Ocala-based State Attorney Bill Gladson show.
The complainant against the three was listed as the office of Sumter County Supervisor of Elections Bill Keen. When reached by the Orlando Sentinel, the office declined to comment, citing “an active investigation.”
It is unclear which candidate the three voted for. A spokesperson for Gladson’s office declined to release more details on the allegations Tuesday.
“Until we complete initial discovery on the cases that is all I am able to release,” Chief Assistant State Attorney Walter Forgie said.
State voter records show Halstead, 71, and Ketcik, 63, are registered Republicans. Rider, 61, has no party affiliation.
However, posts in support of former President Donald Trump can be found on Facebook pages appearing to belong to Halstead and Rider. WKMG-TV reported that a Facebook page appearing to belong to Ketcik also had pro-Trump posts, although the page seems to have been deleted.
Halstead is accused of voting in Florida on Oct. 20, 2020, and casting an absentee ballot in New York, according to an arrest report. She was booked into the Sumter County Detention Center Nov. 29 and released on $2,000 bond.
Ketcik is accused of casting an absentee ballot in Michigan and also voted by mail in Florida, an arrest report said. Villages records list Ketcik also having a residence in Connecticut.
He turned himself in to be booked at the Sumter detention center Dec. 8 and was released on $2,000 bond.
Rider is accused of voting in person in Florida on Oct. 28, 2020, and then casting an absentee ballot in New York, according to an arrest report. He was arrested by Brevard County deputies Dec. 3 at a cruise terminal in Port Canaveral and released on a $2,000 bond, court records show.
Prosecutors declined to say if any of the three knew each other.
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