VOTE FRAUD PROBE IN 161ST STILL ON

CHARLESTON -- Mississippi County Clerk Junior DeLay was surprised to learn this week that an FBI investigation into claims of vote fraud in Mississippi County's November election was incomplete.

"It was news to me," said DeLay, who is responsible for storing voter records. "As far as I'm concerned the investigation is over."

Just days before Monday's fire destroyed the Mississippi County Courthouse in Charleston, U.S. Assistant Attorney General Andrew Fois informed U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson's office that the FBI has been instructed to conduct a preliminary investigation into the alleged vote fraud.

Shortly after the election, Emerson had asked Attorney General Janet Reno to investigate allegations some voters were paid in cash or coupons for liquor to cast a Democratic ballot in the Mississippi County state representative race between Rep. Gene Copeland, D-New Madrid, and GOP challenger Lanie Black of Charleston. Copeland, who has represented the 161st District since 1960, won re-election, 6,059-4,893.

DeLay thought the investigation was over after FBI agents briefly interviewed him in November. The agents didn't ask for voter records and still haven't, he said.

Soon after the vote fraud allegations were made, FBI agents went to Charleston and interviewed people, DeLay said. In 1994, following allegations of vote fraud in that year's primary election, FBI agents conducted interviews and were never heard from again, he said.

In 1994, allegations of vote fraud regarding absentee ballots were reported to the FBI. No charges were filed.

FBI special agent John Gulley in St. Louis said an investigation into last November's alleged vote fraud in Mississippi County is ongoing but refused to comment on the investigation.

Ballots that might prove vital to the investigation are under 4 feet of water in the basement of the burned-out courthouse, DeLay said. He said that after this week's fire he salvaged some computer tapes showing who voted from a vault in his second-floor office.

He said the ballots are in a bag and he doesn't know how badly they might be damaged.

The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms is investigating the cause of the courthouse fire and isn't allowing anyone in the building.

The Feb. 6 letter told Emerson the U.S. attorney's office wants to determine whether federal laws were violated in the Nov. 7 election.

Meanwhile, the Mississippi County Commission has delayed where it will relocate its offices until Friday or Monday. Presiding Commissioner Jim Blumenberg said that after a building on Marshall Street in Charleston was selected Tuesday, it came to his attention that the Division of Family Services Building in East Prairie might be available.

"Yesterday, offices in Charleston looked the best to us but today we're thinking that the DFS building might be better," Blumenberg said Wednesday.

He said no agreement had been signed with E. Paul Jackson, the realtor who owns the building in Charleston.

County officials and judges visited the DFS building in East Prairie Wednesday. It has more space, and county officials seemed to think it would be better equipped to meet needs, said Blumenberg.

East Prairie is seven miles southeast of Charleston.

Blumenberg said the Brown Shoe Co. building in Charleston also might be used for temporary offices. It has been closed for a number of years.