Former Republican candidate who pledged to 'restore trust' in elections arrested for stealing ballots

An Indiana antheral who ran for Congress this twelvemonth and promised to 'restore trust' successful elections has been arrested and charged with stealing ballots during a trial of voting machines.

Larry Savage Jr., 51, ran successful the Republican Primary for Indiana's 5th Congressional District, successful which helium finished successful sixth spot with little than 2 percent of the vote.

Savage ran arsenic a self-described 'common man' who would 'restore spot and support civilian rights' successful 'fair, transparent elections.'

He had been elected arsenic a section enactment person to be a nationalist voting instrumentality trial connected October 3 successful Madison County.

Four voting machines were tested retired with 136 ballots but 2 had gone missing. Surveillance video showed Savage taking them, folding them and putting them into his pocket. 

State constabulary recovered the ballots successful Savage's car aft executing a hunt warrant, Fox 59 reported.

Savage argued to authorities that helium lone took the ballots due to the fact that helium had been told by an authoritative astatine the lawsuit that they were fake.

'You talking astir the ballot the woman told maine I could take,' Savage said, according to the charging documents. 

'I got the insubstantial you're talking about. I conscionable rolled it up and enactment it successful my pocket. I wasn't trying to bargain from nobody.'

However, the attendees were told by the authoritative connected the surveillance video: 'They are unrecorded ballots. They are unrecorded predetermination ballots.' 

It was besides revealed that aft he'd taken the ballots, Savage told authorities auditor campaigner and chap Republican Katherine Callahan: ''f***ed up count.' 

He besides reportedly made respective posts connected someone's Facebook Live watercourse to the aforesaid effect.  

Officers asked Savage wherefore helium enactment the ballots successful his pouch if helium thought they were escaped to take.

County prosecutors accidental helium responded by stating 'that helium wasn't going to incriminate himself.' 

Savage past claimed that helium didn't person plans to bash thing untoward with the ballots and would've fixed them backmost if he'd known helium wasn't expected to.

However, a hunt of Savage's compartment telephone records reveals helium texted Callahan, asking: 'Sis they accidental thing astir the ballots I took?' 

A warrant was issued for Savage's apprehension connected Monday. A time later, helium turned himself in, according to the Indy Star.

He faces 1 complaint of destroying oregon misplacing a ballot and 1 complaint of theft.

The voting instrumentality institution said that Savage engaged successful 'sabotage of the nationalist trial and their voting equipment.' 

The state's Republican Party has present condemned the antheral who said helium ran arsenic a 'MAGA candidate.'

'We unequivocally condemn immoderate signifier of transgression predetermination interference,' Griffin Reid said successful a statement. 

'We admit instrumentality enforcement's efforts successful pursuing justness and we volition proceed to show this concern arsenic the process unfolds.' 

Savage appears to person responded to the apprehension connected Facebook, wherever helium has made his screen photograph his ain mugshot.

He wrote connected 1 post: 'The information is gonna travel out!'