JUST IN: Judge Throws Out First Case in Arrests of Voters Under DeSantis ‘Election Crime’ Bureau

Florida Circuit Court Judge Milton Hirsch has thrown out the first case brought against a defendant arrested under the authority of the “Election Crime” office created by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

The governor’s Office of Election Crimes and Security made headlines and gained viral infamy this week when The Tampa Bay Times published shocking police body-cam video of some of the arrests that were made on the bureau’s orders.

Just days later, the first of those arrests to come before a judge has resulted in a dismissal. From The Guardian:

A Miami judge on Friday dismissed one of the 19 voter fraud prosecutions loudly trumpeted by Florida’s governor, Ron DeSantis, a significant development that comes as the cases draw scrutiny.

The case on Friday involved Robert Lee Wood, a 56-year-old Miami man who registered to vote in 2020 and voted in the presidential election last year. State prosecutors indicted Wood, saying he registered and voted knowing he was ineligible. He was ineligible because he was convicted in 1991, but Wood said he did not know that. He registered in 2020 when he was approached by a canvasser and was sent a voter registration card by the state.

Judge Milton Hirsch dismissed the case on Friday, according to Larry Davis, Wood’s attorney.

The arrests in question occurred on August 18th, after which DeSantis called a press conference to brag about the roundup, telling the assembled reporters “They’re going to pay the price.”

“Our new election crimes office has sprung into action to hold individuals accountable for voter fraud. Today’s actions send a clear signal to those who are thinking about ballot harvesting or fraudulently voting. If you commit an elections crime, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” DeSantis said during the press conference.

Watch the videos above via The Tampa Bay Times.