Posted on 10/27/2004 6:44:14 AM PDT by Michael Goldsberry
A former Anderson firefighter said he voted illegally in city elections to maintain his rank and position with the department, a practice his attorney said was long-standing in Anderson.
Ronny Douglas, 58, Pendleton, will serve 10 days in the Madison County Detention Center on charges of perjury and voting in a precinct where he didn?t reside. He pleaded guilty to the charges in August.
Douglas made no comment when Judge David Hopper sentenced him to 18 months on each of the counts with the time to be served concurrently. Hopper also ordered that Douglas could not participate in any political activity, except for voting.
?I think a portion of the sentence has to be executed,? said Hopper. ?The nature of the offense, although not violent, is extremely offensive to those who take their citizenship and right to vote seriously.?
Douglas? attorney, Robert Cowles, said Douglas? case differs from the one against Mikeal Vaughn, who was convicted of vote tampering. Vaughn pleaded guilty in July to charges of tampering with a ballot and fraudulently causing a voter to cast a ballot against his intention. He was sentenced to 10 days in jail and 36 months on probation.
Cowles said Douglas voted from the Anderson address for political reasons. He said Douglas served 36 years with the Fire Department without a blemish on his record.
?This won?t happen again,? Cowles said. ?He is no longer in fear of losing his rank or position at the Anderson Fire Department.?
Chief Deputy Prosecutor Mike Chambers said public servants are held to a higher standard and that Douglas should be cooperating with the FBI and Indiana State Police in their investigation into voter fraud in Madison County.
?The fact is the man lived in Pendleton and voted in the Anderson city election,? Chambers said. ?As a good Democrat, he felt the need to vote in the city election.?
Chambers said the practice has been going on for too long in Madison County.
?Ronny Douglas is not the only one,? said Chambers.
Democrats have a way of excusing crime.
...when they are the ones who do it!! Just a little ad on!
?Why all the question marks? ?Is it to remind reader to ask the difficult? questions? ?Questions like? ?what party does the firefighter belong to?
Lots of Indiana stories around here lately. Anderson is close to my neck of the woods.
This 'official un-official' policy is not unusual.
I remember running one campaign in a major city where the Dem machine required city employees to assist in the election campaigns of Dems as 'volunteers' to keep their jobs.
We were alerted to this practice by one of the disgruntled volunteers.
?Fnord?
Suggestion: Everyone should take one of those cheap throwaway cameras with them to the polls and actually take or pretend to take pictures of the commies standing around with demonrat signs. Then inform them you're turning their picture over to your State Attorney General. Should be great fun! Get em all lathered up
10 yrs in prison for anyone who knowingly commits voter fraud is about right. No parole.
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