Fifth person arrested in absentee ballot fraud case

Rebecca D. Thompson, of 303 Pecan St. in Bladenboro, turned herself in at the Bladen County Sheriff's Office on Thursday.

Tonia Marie Gordon turned herself in at the magistrate’s office in Bladen County on Tuesday.

Matthew Monroe Mathis was arrested Tuesday in Sampson County.

Caitlyn Croom was arrested Sunday morning in New Hanover County.

All four were charged with conspiracy to commit obstruction of justice and illegal possession of an absentee ballot. Mathis was also charged with falsely signing certification on an absentee ballot.

The charges stem from their work with Bladen County political operative McCrae Dowless in the 2016 general election and the 2018 primary.

Dowless was arrested Feb. 27 on three counts of obstruction of justice, two counts of conspiracy to commit obstruction of justice and two counts of illegal possession of an absentee ballot.

McCrae Dowless, central figure in 9th District election probe, indicted

Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman, who has been investigating allegations of absentee ballot fraud for the past year, said her investigation could expand into the 2018 general election based on the findings of a separate investigation by the State Board of Elections.

The state board last month ordered that a new election be held in the 9th Congressional District after hearing testimony that Dowless sent workers door to door collecting absentee ballots last fall. It's a felony in North Carolina to take someone else's ballot.

Lisa Britt, one of Dowless' workers, said during a four-day hearing the elections board held that she and others would also fill out incomplete ballots.

Republican Mark Harris, who hired Dowless for get-out-the-vote operations in Bladen and Robeson counties, led Democrat Dan McCready by 905 votes in the 9th District after the November election, according to unofficial results. But the state board refused to certify the results pending an investigation into allegations of absentee ballot fraud.

The new election is set for Sept. 10, with primaries on May 14. Candidates can file for the 9th District seat next week.