Suspected MCTEC thief may have robbed Legislative Assembly

Lina Portman1 week ago

3 4 minutes read

Arizona Senate Republicans say the man accused of stealing a security key fob from a county election headquarters last week may also have robbed a legislative employee days earlier.

Surveillance video footage of the incident was posted Wednesday by the Arizona Senate's GOP X account. The post states that the video “appears” to show Walter Ringfield, a 27-year-old Phoenix resident who is currently not registered as a member of any political party in Arizona, taking “personal items” from an employee of the Senate on June 15.

The Arizona Department of Public Safety confirmed it was investigating the incident, but did not say whether Ringfield was a suspect. The department has not confirmed whether Ringfield is the man who appeared in the video, and an agency spokesperson provided no additional information Wednesday.

Ringfield also allegedly stole a lanyard with a security badge and a physical key from the Maricopa County Election Center on June 20. He was working in the center's counting room as a temporary employee. Both items were recovered.

Court documents show Ringfield is charged with criminal damage and misdemeanor theft in the county incident, and a search warrant was executed at his home. He is currently in pre-trial detention and is being held without bail.

The case comes about a week before early ballots are sent to voters for the state's primary. In recent years, electoral operations have been subject to increased surveillance nationwide in a polarized political context and the spread of electoral conspiracies.

What does the GOP video show?

A video posted online by the Senate Republican Caucus shows a man who appears to be Ringfield on the first floor of the Arizona Senate building in Phoenix, which is open to the public.

The man in the footage appears to test the doors to both courtrooms, only to find them locked. When a Senate security guard approaches him, he shows him a series of doors, apparently indicating that this is his destination.

The following video clip shows the back staircase of the Senate, which is posted as accessible only to lawmakers and staff. The man is filmed going up and then down the stairs which lead to the MPs' offices as well as those of collaborators. He appears to be holding papers and he appears to pick up several items and put them in his pockets. The elements are not identifiable in the video.

Who casts ballots for Arizona elections? We went behind the scenes

The security guard finds him and escorts him to the Senate lobby before the tape cuts off.

Kim Quintero, a spokeswoman for Arizona Senate Republicans, declined to say whether Ringfield was working for the Legislature at the time of the alleged theft.

“The tweet means exactly what it says,” Quintero said, referring to social media posts by Republican lawmakers about the incident. “That's all the information I have at the moment.” »

Officials say safety protocols worked, but incident still raises doubts

The key fob allegedly stolen from the Maricopa County Election Center works in conjunction with access codes to use tabulators, machines that tally votes on paper ballots.

The physical key attached to the same lanyard opens a blue bin under the machine that contains the ballots after the votes are counted.

Officials said Tuesday that the key fob would not have allowed Ringfield to independently operate the county's tabulators. They also said the vote counting process did not take place last week.

County officials said they will reschedule and retest election equipment before the state's next primary. They stressed that the incident should have no impact on the election and said it should give voters confidence that the county's safety protocols are working as intended.

“I hope this should give even more confidence to people in the community,” Maricopa County Supervisor Bill Gates said Tuesday, noting that election officials knew of the theft within hours and that the key fob was quickly found.

Some have been less optimistic.

On Wednesday morning, Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley released a statement on the incident in collaboration with Arizona Republican Party Chairwoman Gina Swoboda. He wrote that the incident “raises serious questions about election security in Arizona that must be answered,” while Swoboda said the county must take immediate steps to “enhance security measures and prevent future incidents.”

During the 2024 legislative session, Swoboda worked as an election policy consultant in the Arizona Senate, where Ringfield allegedly stole other items. She is also executive director of Voter Reference, a group accused of facilitating false election conspiracies.

Who is Walter Ringfield?

Election officials said Monday that Ringfield was hired June 3 as a temporary ballot tabulation center operator. A background check was required and resulted in no criminal convictions, according to an elections department spokesperson.

But court documents show Ringfield was previously accused of pocketing more than $1,000 in cash from Fry's Food And Drug last year. The case never resulted in a conviction. Instead, Ringfield entered a diversion program and the proceedings were stayed.

Ringfield ended June 21, county officials said.

A review of voter records shows Ringfield registered as an independent in 2015. Less than a year later, he briefly registered as a Democrat. In recent primary elections, he called for Democratic elections. He also appears to have filed an expression of interest with the Arizona Secretary of State's office in January 2023 to run for U.S. Senate as a Democrat.

An Instagram account that appears to belong to Ringfield includes photos of him with Democratic Senators Mark Kelly and Amy Klobuchar. But he also appears to use a Truth Social account that includes links to conservative media outlets such as the Epoch Times and Gateway Pundit. Other social media accounts that appear to belong to Ringfield were made private or deleted Monday afternoon.

Sheriff Russ Skinner said Tuesday that investigators continue to actively investigate the theft and are reviewing digital and physical evidence. He said there was “no indication” that the key fob was stolen in an attempt to influence the election.

“But we don’t rule out that possibility,” Skinner said. “We're not going to leave any stone unturned…but at this point we don't have anything to indicate that.”

Sasha Hupka covers county government and election administration for the Arizona Republic. Contact her at [email protected]. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @SashaHupka. Follow her on Instagram or Threads: @sashahupkasnaps.

What does the GOP video show?

Officials say safety protocols worked, but incident still raises doubts

Who is Walter Ringfield?

Lina Portman

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