A Villager charged with voting twice in the 2020 presidential election appears ready to mount a vigorous defense.
Joan Halstead, 72, of the Village of Palo Alto is facing a felony charge of fraud. A document on file in Sumter County Court indicates she cast a 2020 general election ballot on Oct. 20, 2020 in person in Sumter County. She also cast a second ballot in New York by absentee. She is a registered Republican and her social media activity suggests she is a supporter of former President Trump.
Halstead, a former teacher who briefly flirted with the idea of running for the Sumter County School Board, appears ready to fight back against the fraud charge. She has retained the law firm of Whittel & Melon LLC.
A first step appears to be depositions of some of the key witnesses in the case, including Maureen Dauphinee of the Monroe County Board of Elections in Rochester, N.Y. and Traci Oliver of the Sumter County Supervisor of Elections Office. They are scheduled to give depositions via Zoom on Feb. 24.
Two other Villagers are facing election fraud charges:
• John Rider, 61, a resident of the Village of Virginia Trace, cast his ballot in person during early voting Oct. 28 in Sumter County. He also cast an absentee ballot in New York, according to an arrest document from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office. Rider and his wife Carol in 2019 purchased their home at 904 Moses Loop in The Villages. He is registered as a voter with No Party Affiliation in Sumter County.
• Jay Richard Ketcik, 63, who lives at 5564 Henry Loop in the Village of Monarch Grove, is also facing a charge of voter fraud. The Manistique, Mich. native cast a ballot in Florida by mail on Oct. 13. He also cast a second ballot in Michigan via absentee ballot, according to an arrest report. He is a registered Republican.
