A Villager who supported Donald Trump and was arrested in 2021 on a charge she voted twice in the 2020 election wants her criminal history expunged.
Joan Marie Halstead, 73, of the Village of Palo Alto, was arrested Nov. 29, 2021 on a charge of voter fraud.
Halstead was accused of casting 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, according to court documents. She is a registered Republican and her social media activity suggests she is a supporter of former President Trump.
As part of the pre-trial intervention deal, Halstead was ordered to complete a civics class and perform community service. She successfully completed the terms of the deal and in September the prosecutor’s office announced that no information would be filed in the case.
Halstead on Dec. 8 filed a petition for expungement of her criminal history in this matter. In addition to completing the pre-trial intervention deal, Halstead noted in the petition, she has no previous criminal history. The prosecutor’s office, in a document on file in Sumter County Court, has consented to Halstead’s request.
