Charlotte County Board Member Charged with Election Fraud

CHARLOTTE COUNTY – On Tuesday, of this week, Charlotte County Board of Supervisor member Haywood Judson Hamlet, 73, of Phenix,turned himself in to the Virginia State Police and was charged on one felony count of making a false statement in connection with an election form (Code of Virginia 24.2-1016). The charge stems from an investigation into an allegation against Hamlet concerning a potential violation of procedure in securing
signatures on an election form.
Code of Virginia 24.2-1016 states: Any willfully false material, statement or entry made by any person in any statement, form, or report required by this title shall constitute the crime of election fraud and be punishable as a Class 5 felony.
Such a violation may carry a term of imprisonment of not less than one year nor more that 10 years, or at the discretion of the jury or the court trying the case without a jury, confinement in jail for not more than 12 months and a fine of not more than $2,500, either or both.
Hamlet, who has served on the Board of Supervisors since 1990, did not qualify as a candidate for this November’s election because he did not obtain enough valid signatures by the June 13 candidate filing deadline, Charlotte County Voter Registrar Nan Lambert said in a June 28 interview with The Southside Messenger.
As of press time, the investigation remains ongoing according to the Virginia State Police.
It is also uncertain at this time as to who requested the investigation.
Hamlett was released on his own recognizance and will appear in General District Court November 2, 2017.