An Eatonton man is in jail facing voter fraud charges, according to authorities.
Quirino Voncell Boles, 44, of Hudson Drive, was arrested and held in Putnam County jail on Feb. 27 on the charges of false swearing, voting by an unqualified elector or giving false information, and probation violation.
The unlawful voting took place Oct. 22, 2024, in Putnam County, the same day that Boles pled guilty to and was placed on probation for four felony counts of theft by receiving stolen property, and two counts of using an article with an altered identification mark.
The “articles” were a Caterpillar Grapple Bucket and a Takeuchi Compact Excavator Bucket, both with the serial numbers removed. Both pieces of equipment were among several others that were in Boles’ possession and had been reported stolen by various construction and utility companies, according to records from the Putnam County Clerk of Courts office.
“He was sentenced to probation and less than 30 minutes later, he was over at the [Putnam County] Board of Elections office casting an absentee ballot, knowing full well he was a convicted felon,” Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills said.
Sills said in February, Putnam’s Board of Elections and Registration Supervisor Kimberly Rudolph called and told him she just received notice from the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office that a felon had voted in the November 2024 election.
“In my 28 years as sheriff, I can’t ever remember that happening before,” Sills said. “There have been a couple of other cases regarding candidates and residency, but I discovered those myself. I’ve never had an elections supervisor call me. She’s taking her job seriously and doing it right.”
The new charges violated Boles’ prior probation terms, hence the February arrest. A probation revocation hearing was held on Tuesday, April 1. Superior Court Judge Brenda H. Trammell revoked Boles’ probation and sentenced him to jail for 90 days.