Former Elkhart County clerk pleads guilty to official misconduct

GOSHEN, Ind. -- Former Elkhart County clerk Christopher Anderson has officially plead guilty to official misconduct.

This came just a few hours before Thursday's GOP caucus which will decide Anderson's replacement.

What should be a simple Republican caucus to choose a replacement for Christopher Anderson as county clerk is getting complicated, and there's a chance his former deputy, who's still facing criminal charges, could take over for her old boss.

Anderson and Carol Smith have both been charged with official misconduct and criminal conversion, for allegedly paying certain election workers for hours they never worked.

Anderson pleaded guilty Thursday, and Thursday night, Smith is up for the position of county clerk.

"I think they should search out someone, and sadly I don't think there's anybody in the county has the ability to be a clerk, their talent pool is very slim, I think, heck, caucus me in, I'll take the job, and I'll do the job because I don't have a bad track record, I don't have a dark side," said Dwight Fish, Elkhart district four common councilman.

Elkhart city councilman Dwight Fish, a Democrat, tells ABC57 he believes having Smith nominated is far from a good idea.
But not every Elkhart Democrat shares that thought.

"The caucus is held before Carol goes to trial, so they're asked to decide something without knowing whether she's guilty, or innocent, and if they make this election thinking she may be guilty, the county is going to be deprived of somebody who is really experienced with elections, none of the others have the experience she does," said John Frybort, election official.

John Frybort was asked to speak on behalf of Carol Smith Thursday night, a bit of a surprise given that he's a Democrat and she's a Republican.
But Frybort says he thinks he was asked to chime in because of his strong passion for fair and regulated elections.

"In Elkhart County, I've been telling my fellow Democrats for many years that the county election board, even though it's controlled by Republicans, conducts elections honestly, fairly, and there's no reason to fear that the elections are in any way manipulated, or in any way in doubt," said Frybort.

None of the Republican party leaders we reached out to Thursday would comment on Smith's potential nomination.