Times Staff Report

INDIANAPOLIS | State Attorney General Steve Carter has filed a motion to intervene in the case of two East Chicago police officers charged with vote fraud in 2006.

Carter believes Ronald DeCastro and Randy Morris' actions seeking a declaratory judgment and obtaining a court order entitling them to vote by provisional ballot in the May 8 primary election are an attempt to circumvent the criminal proceedings filed against them by the Lake County Joint Voter Fraud Task Force.

That is why he has filed a motion to intervene in the civil case against the Lake County Board of Elections and Registration.

"It is important the court hear the state's evidence regarding the residency of both of these men before making a final order," Carter said. "This is an attempt to attack the criminal case by the state of Indiana by not allowing the state to present evidence on their residency."

On July 31, 2006, Attorney General Carter and Lake County Prosecutor Bernard Carter charged DeCastro and Morris with vote fraud relating to the May 6, 2003, East Chicago primary election. DeCastro has been charged with four counts of vote fraud, while Morris has been charged with one count.

At 2 p.m. May 8, 2007, primary election day, DeCastro and Morris sought court orders allowing them to vote by provisional ballot. An order was issued by the court that same afternoon, even though the state was not given the opportunity to be heard or present evidence at the hearing.