A self-described “MAGA candidate” turned himself in to police Tuesday after security cameras allegedly captured him stuffing a pair of ballots into his pocket during a test of voting machines he was appointed to oversee.
The straight-out-of-TV incident allegedly took place in central Indiana, where Larry Lee Savage Jr. lost a Republican primary earlier this year while running to represent the state’s 5th congressional district.
Despite winning a measly 1.9 percent of the vote, the 51-year-old was still called upon to observe a public test of voting machines in Madison County—a procedure that’s done to instill confidence in the machines’ accuracy with media members, candidates, and local political figures reportedly in attendance.
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It was during this test where cops say Savage was captured on camera folding and stuffing a pair of ballots into his pocket on Oct. 3, the Indiana Star reported, citing a probable cause affidavit. That likely caused concern among officials conducting the test, as it suggested the machines failed to count two of the 136 ballots that were inserted into them.
The test ballots were not official for next week’s general election, but are still considered official ballots under state law and must be sealed and disposed of just like official paper ballots are.
Police were called upon to investigate and they say Savage was the culprit of the missing ballots with a stack of evidence against him. In addition to allegedly catching him on security footage, the Star reported that police also found the ballots—one blank, the other straight Republican—inside his home during a search. Cops also claimed they uncovered texts where Savage admitted to the theft.
“Sis they say anything about the ballots I took?” Savage allegedly texted to a Republican official who was also in attendance, according to the Star.
Police said Savage claimed he didn’t know he couldn’t take the ballots home, which cops insinuated was a stretch given his actions after the fact. An arrest warrant for Savage was issued Monday and he turned himself into police on Tuesday, exactly a week before Election Day.
Savage faces a charge of destroying or misplacing a ballot and one charge of theft.
A video was posted to Facebook of Savage addressing the allegations just before he turned himself in to police.
“I guess this is what they do to political opponents,” he said before declaring, “I’m innocent, I’m innocent, I’m innocent.”
As he walked away he told the camera, “I’ve got some f---ed up charges on me. The truth is going to come out.”
Savage appears to have embraced the attention surrounding his arrest. His Facebook cover photo is his mugshot and he’s shared multiple articles detailing his alleged crime. His bio on the page says he works as a corrections officer and is married.
Griffin Reid, a spokesperson for the state’s Republican Party, condemned Savage in a statement to the Star.
“We unequivocally condemn any form of criminal election interference,” he said. “We appreciate law enforcement’s efforts in pursuing justice and we will continue to monitor this situation as the process unfolds.”
