Its official Appalachia has now spend more time and money investigating this, then FL did with their rigged election in 2000. [img]/LDPforum/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]
Police search Appalachia officials' homes in election fraud probe
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
By STEPHEN IGO
Times-News
APPALACHIA - Authorities on Monday executed search warrants at the home of the Appalachia mayor/town manager, a town councilman and members of his family, and the acting police chief as part of an ongoing investigation into allegations of election fraud during town elections two years ago.
Wise County Special Prosecutor Tim McAfee accompanied "multiple search teams" of the Virginia State Police to execute search warrants on the residence of Mayor/Town Manager Ben Cooper, the offices of the Appalachia Police Department and Appalachia Town Hall, the residence of acting Police Chief Ben Serber, and the residence of Town Councilman Owen Anderson "Andy" Sharrett III.
McAfee said the search warrants also named Sharrett's father, Owen Anderson "Dude" Sharrett Jr., mother Belinda Sharrett, and brother Adam Brody Sharrett, all who share the same residence.
Another warrant was executed on the residence of Betty Bolling, aunt of Dude Sharrett.
Allegations of election fraud cropped up after the 2004 town elections. The allegations include attempts to buy votes with offers of cigarettes, beer and bags of pork rinds, and tampering with absentee ballots. Most recently, an envelope used to submit an absentee ballot was sent to crime labs for DNA testing.
"We have, I think, close to 16 agents of the Virginia State Police here today" as well as some uniformed troopers, McAfee said of Monday's investigation activities around town. He said the sorts of evidence targeted was "a long, long list of stuff," which was three pages long. Evidence being collected included handwriting samples, associations between individuals, and DNA samples from six individuals.
"We have a lengthy list of items to be seized," McAfee said.
Assistant Special Prosecutor Greg Stewart was also on hand during the execution of warrants. McAfee said executing the warrants began at 10 a.m. Monday.
Former long-term Mayor Gary Bush, who was defeated in the 2004 election by a Cooper-led faction of candidates, said he was aware of some police activities around town on Monday but wasn't sure what or exactly why.
"Right now I can't comment on anything. I guess I'll have to read about it in the newspapers like everybody else," Bush said.
While campaigning for re-election in 2004, Bush said he and another sitting Appalachia Town Council member, who was also defeated, encountered voters in Inman Village "who made comments, like, "?What you going to give us to vote for you?' and that kind of thing. And at the time, we kind of laughed it off. It wasn't until after the election that some things started to come out and (after an article in The Roanoke Times about fraud allegations in Scott County and Appalachia) things just seem to have snowballed."
http://www.timesnews.net/article.dna?_StoryID=3595615
[IMG]http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l53/blpjr77/culpeper1.jpg[/IMG]
Its official Appalachia has now spend more time and money investigating this, then FL did with their rigged election in 2000. [img]/LDPforum/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]
I think it is pretty ignorant on the person, or persons part, who accepted a bag of pork skins for a vote. I would have at least asked for two bags!! LOL
What a waste of the tax payer money! Only one coming out of this smiling is the lawyers!
True, but if the candidates had not given any reason for the investigation to begin with, then the taxpayers wouldn't have to worry about it.
I agree I hate that it is costing taxpayer money but if you don't insure the integerty of the elections then what is the point of haveing them
My point exactly. If I was going to buy votes, I would have done it with something better than a bag of pork skins
It is scary that was all it look LOL
I wonder if it is illage to ask for payment for the vote (would be funny/sad for someone to be up on federal charges for asking for pork rinds) I personaly hope the polaticions involved get hosed
I heard that this is going to be more serious than just buying votes.
Go Huskers!
Honistly had not heard much past the local news what else is there to it than that?
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