State Attorney Willie Meggs Attempts To Prosecute Bogus Charges Yet Again And Again | ‘Madison 9′ Falls to ‘Madison 3′

By: Garin Flowers | January 28, 2013 | WCTV.TV

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Laverne Haynes can now move on with life.

“I’ve just been overjoyed with the victory of the dismissal of the case,” she said.

For a year and some change, felony charges of voter fraud lingered over her head as she awaited trial.

“I’m still in shock and even though we got the victory, you still wake up, because it’s been with us so long that we are still pinching our self to say, ‘is this really real.’”

On Wednesday, a Madison county judge decided to drop her charges.

Haynes was among eight others arrested in November 2011 for multiple voter fraud violations. The arrests stem from a school board race in Madison that year.

We also spoke with Judy Ann Crumitie who had her charges dropped the same time.

“I felt oh my God, I felt like a burden was lifted and I just started crying, tears of joy.”

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement contends there were “extraordinarily disproportionate amount of absentee votes” in the district one school board race.

But, the Madison 9 always claimed their innocence and it seems the court agrees.

“Even when the days are its darkest, if you know and you trust and believe in yourself knowing what you did, you didn’t do anything wrong, don’t waver,” Haynes said.

The third person who had their charges dropped was Raven Williams.

The three people left in this case are Tina Johnson, who won the school board race where the charges come from, her husband; and Jada Woods Williams, the former Madison County Supervisor of Elections.

Williams trial was the only one moved to Leon County.

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Madison County, FL – Three more people part of the Madison 9 had their charges dropped. A judge in Madison county decided there was no basis for what they were accused of doing.

The only people left to stand trial are Tina Johnson, Ernest Johnson and Jada Woods Williams.

WCTV will bring you more information as it becomes available.