Dec. 8—CLARK COUNTY — Election fraud charges have been dismissed against a former Clark County political candidate.

Court records show Chris Coyle, a Democrat who ran for Clark County clerk in 2022, completed the terms of his pretrial diversion agreement and was granted a dismissal Friday.

Coyle lost the clerk’s race to Republican Ryan Lynch last fall.

Indiana State Police said earlier this year that they investigated concerns about Coyle’s residency and charged him with felonies for filing a fraudulent report and voting outside his precinct.

“I am thankful that this matter is now over and the case is dismissed,” Coyle said in a statement. “I thank the Clark County prosecutor for his professionalism and reasonable approach and David Mosley for his assistance throughout.”

Mosley, an attorney, represented Coyle in the matter.

Both men said they think the circumstances surrounding the case were politically motivated.

“I think part of the mission of people pushing these charges was trying to bring negative things to Chris Coyle and the Democrats,” Mosley said.

Coyle served as the chairman of the Clark County Democrats and called for the resignation of Clark County GOP Chair Jamey Noel in the summer of 2022, following allegations of rape and sexual assault against female inmates by male inmates at the Clark County jail.

Noel, who’s now facing 15 felony charges related to corruption and theft in a separate case, was the Clark County sheriff at that time.

Questions about Coyle’s residency were raised a few weeks before the 2022 election when a resident, citing concerns about the integrity of political candidates and elections, filed a complaint with the Clark County Election Board.

Court records indicate the board didn’t rule on the complaint, and instead told the person to contact the Clark County Prosecutor’s Office, or the Attorney General’s Office, to file the complaint.

According to the probable cause affidavit in the case against Coyle, he sold his home in Memphis last summer and did not change the address on his driver’s license or voter registration to reflect any change of address before voting at a church in Sellersburg on Election Day.

Police analyzed Coyle’s cell phone location records between Aug. 8 and Nov. 9 of last year. The data showed a majority of his overnight stays were in the Louisville area.

“Chris was always intending and had the intent to reside in Jeffersonville, or Clark County, as he does now,” Mosley said. “He was living in Clark County as soon as he found a place. He was simply in the transition of many homeowners, who sell their house and are waiting to get into another house. And wanted to make a judicious decision. That’s what you’d want of a person who’s going to be making decisions for the public.”