A Northern Kentucky man is facing criminal charges in connection with illegal acts at the ballot box over 14 years, according to the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office.
Thomas Dennis III, 51, of Covington, was indicted June 26 by a Kenton County grand jury on multiple counts of wrongful registration and perjury, court records show.
Dennis, a convicted felon, is accused of illegally registering to vote on three occasions between 2006 and 2020, the attorney general’s office said in a news release. Kentucky voter registration records show he registered as a Republican.
Prosecutors said he also falsified records related to his voting in an attempt to mislead county officials.
He was convicted of arson in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court in 1996 after pleading no contest, meaning that he admitted to the facts but did not admit guilt. He was sentenced to 1½ years in an Ohio prison, court records show.
While the case file reveals little in the way of details about the offense, an indictment states that Dennis “knowingly caused or created a substantial risk of physical harm to property belonging to Rumpke Waste Disposal” and that he did so “by means of fire or explosion.”
Court records show that Dennis tried to have his conviction expunged in 2013; however, a judge denied that request. Prosecutors argued that because arson is considered a violent offense, it could not be expunged under state law.
Dennis was previously charged with arson in Campbell County Circuit Court, but the charge was dismissed without prejudice, meaning prosecutors could elect to refile in light of new evidence.
He was also charged in Kenton County with felony sexual abuse in 1993 and was later convicted of a lesser charge of sexual misconduct, a high-level misdemeanor.
Court records did not list attorney information for Dennis as of the afternoon of June 30. He is expected to appear for an arraignment before Kenton County Circuit Judge Patricia Summe on July 7.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: NKY man set fire to Rumpke property in mid-90s. Prosecutors say he’s been voting as felon
Reporting by Quinlan Bentley, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
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