Police cameras show confusion, anger over DeSantis' voter fraud arrests - Tampa Bay Times

Published Oct. 18|Updated Yesterday

TALLAHASSEE — When constabulary went to apprehension Tony Patterson extracurricular his Tampa location successful August, helium couldn’t judge the reason.

“What is incorrect with this state, man?” Patterson protested arsenic helium was being escorted to a constabulary car successful handcuffs. “Voter fraud? Y’all said anybody with a felony could vote, man.”

Body-worn camera footage recorded by section constabulary captured the disorder and outrage of Hillsborough County residents who recovered themselves successful handcuffs for casting a ballot pursuing investigations by Gov. Ron DeSantis’ caller Office of Election Crimes and Security.

The Aug. 18 arrests — conducted hours before DeSantis called a quality conference to tout his crackdown connected alleged elector fraud — were carried retired by authorities constabulary officers accompanied by section instrumentality enforcement.

The never-before-seen footage, obtained by the Times/Herald done nationalist records requests, offers a idiosyncratic glimpse of the effects of DeSantis’ efforts to basal retired perceived elector fraud.

“They’re going to wage the price,” DeSantis said during the quality league announcing the arrests.

Of the 19 radical arrested, 12 were registered arsenic Democrats and astatine slightest 13 are Black, the Times/Herald found.

Romona Oliver, 55, was astir to permission for enactment erstwhile constabulary walked up her driveway astatine 6:52 a.m. and told her they had a warrant for her arrest.

“Oh my God,” she said.

An serviceman told her she was being arrested for fraud, a third-degree felony, for voting illegally successful 2020.

“Voter fraud?” she said. “I voted, but I ain’t perpetrate nary fraud.”

Oliver and 19 others are facing up to 5 years successful situation aft being accused by DeSantis and authorities constabulary of some registering, and voting, illegally.

They are accused of violating a authorities instrumentality that doesn’t let radical convicted of execution oregon felony enactment offenses to automatically beryllium capable to ballot aft they implicit their sentence. A 2018 authorities law amendment that restored the close to ballot to galore felons excluded this group.

But, arsenic the videos further support, the amendment and consequent actions by authorities lawmakers caused mass confusion astir who was eligible, and the state’s elector registration forms connection nary clarity. They lone necessitate a imaginable elector to swear, nether punishment of perjury, that they’re not a felon, oregon if they are, that their rights person been restored. The forms bash not clarify that those with execution convictions don’t get automatic restoration of their rights.

Oliver, who served 18 years successful situation connected a second-degree execution charge, registered to ballot astatine the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles connected Feb. 14, 2020. Six months later, she updated her code and completed different registration form.

After little eligibility checks by the Department of State — which reports to DeSantis and is liable for cleaning the rolls of ineligible voters — she was fixed a elector ID paper some times.

Oliver wasn’t removed from the rolls until March 30 this year, much than 2 years later.

The recordings by Tampa constabulary and Hillsborough County sheriff’s deputies uncover officers who were patient, knowing — astir apologetic.

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A handcuffed Nathan Hart, 49, recovered a sympathetic receptor erstwhile helium explained however helium ended up registering and voting illegally, according to the sheriff’s bureau recording.

As helium stood handcuffed, helium told officers that helium signed up to ballot astatine the encouragement of idiosyncratic astatine “the driver’s licence place.” Records amusement it was successful March 2020.

“I said, ‘I’m a convicted felon, I’m beauteous definite I can’t,’” Hart, a registered enactment offender, told officers. “He goes, ‘Well, are you inactive connected probation?’”

Hart’s probation had ended a period earlier, Hart recalled. The idiosyncratic told him to motion up anyway.

“He said, ‘Well, conscionable capable retired this form, and if they fto you vote, past you can,’” Hart said. “‘If they don’t, past you can’t.’”

“Then there’s your defense,” 1 of the officers replied. “You cognize what I’m saying? That sounds similar a loophole to me.”

“Well, we tin hope,” Hart said.

The serviceman was close successful 1 way: State instrumentality says that a elector has to “willfully” perpetrate the transgression — a hurdle that has forced some prosecutors not to complaint ineligible voters.

In Lake County this year, for example, prosecutors declined to bring charges against six convicted enactment offenders who voted successful 2020.

“In each of the instances wherever enactment offenders voted, each look to person been encouraged to ballot by assorted mailings and misinformation,” prosecutor Jonathan Olson wrote. “Each were fixed elector registration cards which would pb 1 to judge they could legally ballot successful the election. The grounds fails to amusement willful actions connected a portion of these individuals.”

DeSantis’ elector fraud arrests are being carried retired by the Office of Statewide Prosecution, which is restricted by law to prosecuting crimes, including voting, involving 2 oregon much judicial circuits. Those crimes are usually “complex, often ample scale, organized transgression activity,” according to its website. The statewide authoritative is Nicholas Cox, who was reappointed by Attorney General Ashley Moody successful 2019.

Oliver’s lawyer, Tampa lawyer Mark Rankin, said helium thinks DeSantis’ predetermination information unit chose these 20 successful peculiar due to the fact that the nationalist would not person sympathy for radical who were convicted of execution oregon intersexual offenses. During a quality league announcing the arrests, DeSantis noted their transgression records.

“That’s not an accident,” Rankin said. “That’s a governmental strategy.”

Public defenders representing Hart and Patterson declined to comment.

Patterson, a registered enactment offender, wondered wherefore helium was being singled retired erstwhile officers showed up astatine his home, the signaling shows.

“This happened years ago,” helium told officers. “Why now? Why me?”

Even the Tampa constabulary serviceman driving Patterson to the jailhouse seemed amazed by the charges against him. En route, the serviceman received a telephone telephone and appeared to concisely sermon Patterson’s case.

“I’ve ne'er seen these charges earlier successful my full life,” the serviceman said.

Handcuffed successful the backmost seat, Patterson, 40, stewed. He said his member encouraged him to registry to vote.

“I ever perceive to everybody else. Vote for this. Vote for — travel on, man,” Patterson grumbled. “I thought felons were capable to vote. That’s wherefore I signed a petition form, that’s what I remember.

“Why would you fto maine ballot if I wasn’t capable to vote?”

“I’m not sure, buddy,” the serviceman replied. “I don’t know.”

Times information exertion Langston Taylor contributed to this report.