Posted on 10/23/2002 7:55:29 PM PDT by jmstein7
Arrests made in voter fraud case By James Beaty, Senior Editor October 22, 2002 A voter fraud investigation in Haskell County has led to the arrests of four people on felony counts of conspiracy to commit a false notarization of an absentee ballot - and authorities were searching the residence of a man today where they said they seized drugs and huge amounts of cash. The election-related charges were filed at the Haskell County Courthouse in Stigler on Monday following an investigation by the Okmulgee County district attorney's office -which was assigned the case by Attorney General Drew Edmondson's office.
Those charged include Romonia Blunt, 30, of Keota; Sammy Dwight Copeman, 31, of rural Stigler; Charles Copeman Jr., 28, of rural Stigler and Eddie Kay Copeman, 49.
On the conspiracy count, the four are accused of conspiring to commit a felony by falsely notarizing documents between Sept. 1 and Oct. 1, 2000.
"Eddie Copeman, Sammy Dwight Copeman and Charles Copeman did, in furtherance of the conspiracy, solicit and receive absentee ballot forms for the Sept. 19, 2000, runoff election in order that they could be falsely notarized," the charge alleges.
Eddie Copeman, Sammy Dwight Copeman and Charles Copeman are accused of soliciting and receiving absentee ballot forms for the Sept. 19, 2000, runoff election in Haskell County so they could be falsely notarized.
Blunt is charged with falsely notarizing 15 absentee ballots for the Sept. 19 runoff election in Haskell County.
Another investigation is also under way concerning questions related to the Aug. 27, 2002, primary election, said Kym Koch at the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.
She said at times, there have been as many absentee ballot votes voted in Haskell County as in Oklahoma County, so investigators wanted to look at the situation.
Jim Bob Miller, the district attorney for Pittsburg and Haskell counties, said a large amount of cash and drugs have been uncovered at a Haskell County residence.
Koch said the money totals $175,000 in cash allegedly found in a freezer and $65,000 allegedly found in a pickup.
She said 100 grams of methamphetamine have also allegedly been found.
Miller said charges were also being prepared to accuse the man at the residence of trafficking within 2,000 feet of a school.
Four races were on the Sept. 19, 2000 ballot in Haskell County, all of them Democratic runoffs, according to Haskell County Election Board Secretary Marcia Goff.
Investigators did not indicate in the charges who they believed were hurt or helped by the alleged cases of voter fraud.
Contact James Beaty at jbeaty@mcalesternews.com.
©McAlester News-Capital & Democrat 2002
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