A former Republican candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives was taken into custody Tuesday by Indiana State Police on suspicion of stealing several ballots during a test of voting machines earlier this month.
Larry L. Savage Jr., 51, is now facing charges of removal or destruction of ballots ― a felony ― and misdemeanor theft, according to court records reviewed by HuffPost.
Court records did not show an attorney representing him, and he did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Savage shared a video on Facebook on Tuesday showing him turning himself in to authorities, and he maintained his innocence, saying, “I guess this is what they do to political opponents.” “The truth’s gonna come out,” Savage said in the video.
The charges stemmed from an Oct. 3 public testing event in Madison County where four voting machines were tested with 34 ballots each, according to a probable cause affidavit obtained by HuffPost. Once the tabulation was complete, it was revealed two of the ballots were missing.
Test ballots are identical to official ballots, but say “test” on the back. They can, however, still be put through a scanner at a polling station to cast a real vote. According to Indiana law , test ballots must be sealed, retained and disposed of following a test of voting machines.
According to the affidavit, the ballots found in Savage’s possession read, “ITS A CRIME TO FALSIFY THIS BALLOT OR TO VIOLATE INDIANA ELECTION LAWS.” Surveillance .