Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin has announced the arrest of eight individuals in Phillips County in connection with alleged efforts to illegally influence the outcome of the 2024 primary runoff election for the District 9 Justice of the Peace seat.
Among those arrested is 62-year-old Lita Moore Johnson, a teacher with the Marvell School District, who won the runoff election. Authorities allege that Johnson encouraged several voters to unlawfully change the addresses on their voter registrations so they could cast ballots in her favor.
Court records indicate that Johnson has been charged with two counts of solicitation to commit perjury, classified as a Class D felony.
Seven additional individuals are also facing charges. They have been accused of perjury, a Class C felony, for allegedly providing false address information on Arkansas voter registration applications. Those charged include Mearion Armstrong, Cordelia Foster, Shirley Hicks, Jasean Smith, Adam Swopes, Rachel Gamble Sykes, and Jocelyn Washington.
Officials say the investigation focuses on fraudulent voter registration changes tied to the contested runoff election.
