Misdemeanor charges filed against three elected officials in St. Johns County were dismissed Friday, Oct. 2, by Eighth Judicial Circuit Court Judge William E. Davis.
Prior to the dismissal, St. Johns County commissioners Sarah Arnold and Christian Whitehurst and former St. Augustine Beach Mayor Dylan Rumrell had been charged with unauthorized voter guide violations, a first-degree misdemeanor, and criminal conspiracy, a second-degree misdemeanor.
The charges stemmed from the alleged distribution of a voters’ guide ahead of the 2024 primary election that prosecutors claim used the name, likeness and logo of the local Republican Executive Committee in an altered form. The guide endorsed different candidates than those actually endorsed by the committee.
According to media reports, Davis granted a motion by the defense to dismiss the cases, the reason being a lack of jurisdiction by the circuit court over misdemeanor cases.
The case had gone before the Eighth Circuit Court after the Seventh and Fourth Circuit Courts, serving St. Johns County and Jacksonville, respectively, recused themselves.
Also dismissed were the misdemeanor charges filed against Jaime Johnson.
At this writing, no ruling has been made concerning related charges filed against political consultant Briana Maureen Jordan. Jordan has been charged with tampering with physical evidence, a third-degree felony, as well as the misdemeanor charges described above.
