3rd case brought by DeSantis' election police dismissed

Source: Associated Press

3rd case brought by DeSantis’ election police dismissed

December 24, 2022

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A third case of a defendant who was arrested by an elections police unit created by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and a Republican-controlled Florida Legislature has been thrown out.

Terry Hubbard, 63, was among 20 people arrested last August on criminal charges of illegal voting in 2020 in what was the first major action taken by the the Republican’s controversial new Office of Election Crimes and Security.

A judge in Broward County this week tossed out the case on the grounds that the Office of Statewide Prosecution does not have jurisdiction to prosecute since it can only prosecute crimes that occurred in two or more counties. Two other cases were dismissed on similar grounds.

The elections police unit drew widespread criticism from Democrats and voting rights groups who feared it would serve as a political tool for the governor.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-ron-desantis-crime-florida-4038f0cf039628981f72009ecd866924