TOMORROW TEAMS WILL BEGIN A 46 HOUR. COUNTDOWN NEWS SIX’S JAMES SPARVERO. WE’LL HAVE THE
DETAILS IN THE NEXT 10
MINUTES. NEW AT 5, A MAN
ARRESTED FOR A POSSIBLE
ELECTION. CRIME TELLS NEWS 6.
>> HE’S BEING USED AS A
POLITICAL. HE WAS ONE OF 20
PEOPLE. STATE AGENTS ARRESTED
LAST WEEK NOW FACING CHARGES
FOR ILLEGALLY VOTING IN THE
2020 ELECTION. IT WAS THE
FIRST PUBLIC OUTCOME OF THE
STATE’S NEWLY FORMED OFFICE OF
ELECTION CRIMES AND SECURITY
INVESTIGATOR LOUIS BOLDEN IS
IN STUDIO TONIGHT. AND LEWIS.
>> HE SAYS HE’S INNOCENT IN
ALL OF THIS IS LEASE UP HERE.
WASHINGTON PLED NO CONTEST TO
A FELONY OFFENSE IN 1996 AND
SERVED 10 YEARS IN PRISON. HE
SAYS FOR THE LAST 12 YEARS HE
HAS TURNED HIS LIFE AROUND,
HELD DOWN A JOB AND STARTED A
FAMILY. HE SAYS A SERIES OF
EVENTS, THOUGH, LED HIM TO
BELIEVE HE WAS ELIGIBLE TO
VOTE AFTER AMENDMENT 4 PASSED.
>> I’M ANGRY, BUT I’VE HEARD
59 YEAR-OLD PETER WASHINGTON
WAS AMONG THE 20 PEOPLE
ARRESTED ACROSS THE STATE LAST
WEEK FOR ALLEGEDLY ILLEGALLY
VOTING IN THE 2020 ELECTION.
GOVERNOR RON DESANTIS
ANNOUNCING THE ARREST AT A
PRESS CONFERENCE. THEY ARE
DISQUALIFIED FROM VOTING
BECAUSE THEY’VE BEEN CONVICTED
OF MURDER OR ASSAULT AND THEY
DO NOT HAVE.
OF MURDER OR ASSAULT AND THEY
DO NOT HAVE. he’s in the South of France, >> THE WAIT TO VOTE.
WASHINGTON SAYS HE THOUGHT HIS
RIGHTS HAVE BEEN RESTORED. DID
YOU INTENTIONALLY CAST AN
ILLEGAL BALLOT?
>> NO. IN 1996 WASHINGTON PLED
NO CONTEST TO ATTEMPTED
BATTERY AND WAS GIVEN
PROBATION. BUT HE KEPT
VIOLATING PROBATION BY NOT
REGISTERING PROPERLY WITH THE
STATE, ACCORDING TO THE
PROBABLE CAUSE AFFIDAVIT AND
STATE RECORDS BECAUSE OF THE
VIOLATION. IN 2001, HE SERVED
NEARLY 10 YEARS IN PRISON AND
WAS RELEASED IN NOVEMBER OF
2010. SINCE THEN, HE SAYS HE
HAS TRIED TO BE A MODEL
CITIZEN BY STARTING HIS OWN
BUSINESS AND STARTING A JUST
JUST TRYING TO LIVE IN BE
SUCCESSFUL. IN 2018, FLORIDA
VOTERS PASSED AMENDMENT 4 TO
AUTOMATICALLY RESTORE THE
RIGHT TO VOTE FOR PEOPLE WITH
PRIOR FELONY CONVICTIONS UPON
COMPLETION OF THEIR SENTENCES
EXCEPT THOSE CONVICTED OF
MURDER OR A FELONY OFFENSE
UNDER THE LAW, FELONS ARE NOT
ALLOWED TO SIT ON JURIES, BUT
ACCORDING TO THE PROBABLE
CAUSE AFFIDAVIT, WASHINGTON
RECEIVED JURY SUMMONS ON 3
SEPARATE OCCASIONS WHICH SHE
REPORTED FOR THAT. WHAT MADE
ME THINK THAT I WAS ELIGIBLE
TO MY RIGHTS WERE REINSTATED
BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, UK A JURY
DUTY LIST, YOU’RE RIGHT BE IN
IT.
>> BEEN WITH REINSTATED URGED
BY HIS WIFE, WASHINGTON SAYS
IN 2019, HE FILLED OUT A
FLORIDA VOTER APPLICATION. AND
ACCORDING TO THE AFFIDAVIT,
WASHINGTON RECEIVED A VOTER
INFORMATION CARD WITH A VOTER
ID. HE SAYS HE WENT TO THE
POLLS WITH HIS WIFE IN PERSON
AND ASK QUESTIONS ME AND MY
WIFE WE SHOWED IN THE AD WE
VOTER COULD. IF WE SEE IS
BALLOT. THEY SAY,H, IN
VOTER COULD. IF WE SEE IS
BALLOT. THEY SAY,H, IN he’s in the South of France, DEATH THAT WANT TO READ THAT
WANTED VOTED. WHY WAS HE
ISSUED A VOTER ID? ORANGE
COUNTY SUPERVISOR OF
ELECTIONS. BILL COWLES
RELEASED A STATEMENT READING
IF WE DO NOT RECEIVE A PACKET
FROM THE STATE, WE REMAIN
UNAWARE OF THE INDIVIDUALS
CONVICTION. AFTER THE ARREST.
SENATOR JEFF BRANDES WHO
AUTHORED AMENDMENT 4 TWEETED
VIDEO OF THE GOVERNOR’S PRESS
CONFERENCE WRITING IT WAS OUR
INTENT THAT THOSE INELIGIBLE
WOULD BE GRANTED SOME GRACE BY
THE STATE IF THEY REGISTERED
WITHOUT INTENT TO COMMIT
FRAUD. WASHINGTON SAYS THE
WORST PART HAS BEEN
UNINTENTIONALLY HURTING HIS
YOU WOULD IT I TRIED TO BE
UNINTENTIONALLY HURTING HIS
YOU WOULD IT I TRIED TO BE he’s in the South of France, STRONG FOR HER, BUT IT NOW.
REMEMBER, 20 PEOPLE WERE
ARRESTED FOR THE SAME THING.
WE TRACKED DOWN ANOTHER PERSON
ALSO FROM CENTRAL FLORIDA.
>> SHE ALSO TELLS NEWS 6 SHE
LEGITIMATELY THOUGHT SHE WAS
ELIGIBLE TO VOTE WE WILL HAVE
HER STORY COMING UP AT 6
O’CLOCK. VERY INTERESTING TO
HEAR FROM HIM AND HEAR HIS
SIDE OF THE STORY AND ALL OF
THIS.
>> LISA: NOW, LEWIS, ACCORDING
TO THE SUPERVISOR OF ELECTIONS
STATEMENT, IT SOUNDS LIKE THE
STATE MIGHT HAVE DROPPED THE
BALL IN THIS. I MEAN, THEY’RE
THE ONES WHO ARE SUPPOSED TO
CHECK TO MAKE SURE PEOPLE ARE
ACTUALLY ELIGIBLE WHEN THEY
REGISTER TO VOTE. IT CERTAINLY
SEEMS LIKE THERE IS A
BREAKDOWN IN COMMUNICATION
AMONG GOVERNMENT AGENCIES
BECAUSE IF CONVICTED FELONS
ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO SERVE ON
JURIES, WHY ARE YOU SENDING
THEM JURY SOME THINGS IF
THEY’RE NOT SUPPOSED TO IF
THEY HAVEN’T HAD THEIR RIGHTS
RESTORED AND THEY’RE NOT
SUPPOSED TO VOTE, WHY ARE YOU
ALLOWING THEM TO REGISTER TO
VOTE AND THEN SENDING THEM A
VOTER REGISTRATION AND
UNFORTUNATELY PEOPLE ARE BEING
ARRESTED BECAUSE WHAT RAISES A
LOT OF QUESTIONS, BECAUSE
EVEN, YOU KNOW, RESIDENCY
QUESTIONS AND PEOPLE WHO ARE
REGISTERING TO VOTE. I MEAN,
SOMEONE SHOULD BE CHECKING
RIGHT TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE
>> LISA: ARE INDEED ELIGIBLE
TO VOTE. AND WE ARE GOING TO
CONTINUE TO DIG TO SEE WHERE
THE YEAH. IF YOU GO TO THE
ELECTION OFFICE AND SAY IS IT
OK AND THEY TELL YOU, YES,
WHAT DID THE RIGHT? YOU I
WOULD THINK SO INTERESTING TO
SEE NEXT REPORT TO.
>> HERE ON NEWS 6, WE’VE ALSO
REPORTED ON 4 PEOPLE FROM THE
VILLAGE IS CHARGED WITH VOTER
FRAUD IN THE 2020 ELECTION, 3
ADMITTED TO THE CRIME AND HAVE
ENTERED A PRETRIAL
INTERVENTION PROGRAM TO AVOID
PRISON TIME. WHILE THE 4TH IS
AWAITING TRIAL, THEY WERE NOT
MENTIONED DURING THE
GOVERNOR’S PRESS CONFERENCE