A temporary election worker in Arizona’s Maricopa County accused of computer tampering was hit with three new charges on Tuesday, the same day he pleaded not guilty to one felony count.
Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell announced that Walter Alphonso Ringfield has been indicted on two new felony charges, theft and burglary, and one misdemeanor, criminal trespassing.
Ringfield already faces a Class Two felony count of computer tampering after being accused of taking a security fob from the Maricopa County Tabulation and Elections Center building (MCTEC) on June 20. Police found the key after searching Ringfield’s residence and arrested him.
Newsweek reached out to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office via an online form on Wednesday for comment.
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On Tuesday, Ringfield pleaded not guilty in the Maricopa County Superior Court to the computer tampering count, which can carry a prison sentence of 3 to 12.5 years.
Most of his indictments aren’t related to his role as an election worker in Arizona’s largest county. According to the Associated Press, surveillance footage shows Ringfield removed $9,500 worth of vintage jewelry from mannequins at the Phoenix Art Museum on May 20, leading to his theft indictment.
Two other indictments came from alleged actions on June 15, when Ringfield was reportedly caught on tape walking through a secured area of the Arizona state legislature and allegedly stealing seven challenge coins and three coasters, leading to the burglary and trespassing charges.
He is in custody and currently being held non-bondable, according to a press release by the Maricopa County Attorney’s office.
In late June, Maricopa County Supervisor Bill Gates told The Arizona Capitol Times of Ringfield’s arrest, “I certainly hope people don’t take this incident to spin up new conspiracy theories.”
He added, “Our protocols worked, that’s the headline of this story.”
Newsweek emailed the Maricopa County Supervisor on Wednesday for comment.
Maricopa County previously received national attention during the 2020 presidential election, when then-candidate Joe Biden beat then-President Donald Trump in the state by a narrow margin.
Top Republicans, including Trump, promoted false claims about voter fraud and machine errors in Arizona. There is no substantial evidence to support such claims of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election.
In April, an Arizona grand jury indicted 18 people, including former Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani and former Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows, with felony offenses including fraud, forgery and conspiracy in connection with a scheme to falsely declare that Trump had beaten Biden in the state in 2020. Giuliani and Meadows were among those who pleaded not guilty to the charges.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.