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Cincinnati man accused of stealing poll book faces felony charges

A Riverside man is facing felony charges after election officials in Hamilton County said he took an electronic poll book with him on Election Day.

The 25-year-old is accused of “interfering in the conduct of elections,” a charge that has not been filed in Hamilton County in at least five years. The Enquirer is working to determine how commonly the fee was used in the rest of Ohio.

According to police records, the incident occurred at the Sayler Park Recreation Center, where elections were taking place.

A 911 caller contacted police shortly before 10 a.m. reporting that an “angry gentleman” was trying to leave with a computer. The person called again shortly afterwards and said the situation had escalated.

“We need someone immediately,” the caller said. “He's trying to put an end to the voting thing and he's like throwing it away. He's really misbehaving. He wants to vote and can't because he doesn't have the right things. He destroys equipment, throws things, attacks people. We really need help.”

According to police records, he was arrested at the recreation center at 10:20 a.m. Voting continued while the man “tore things up” in a nearby classroom at the center.

The arrest report indicates that the man suffers from mental illness.

The election board reported that the poll book was deactivated remotely. Two additional poll books were available at that time, officials said. A poll book is used to verify voters and does not contain information about how voters voted.

The man was released from police custody on Wednesday after posting bail. A Hamilton County grand jury is expected to hear the case by Nov. 15.

The man's lawyer had not responded to requests for comment at the time of publishing this report.

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