An employee at the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center (MCTEC) was caught in the act, sparking a significant security response that may result in a hefty $20,000 expense for taxpayers.
LOOK:
🚨🚨BREAKING: Election worker accused of theft at Maricopa County facility.
On June 20, surveillance footage inside the Maricopa County elections building in downtown Phoenix captured an employee taking a "security fob" and keys from a desk and putting them in his pocket.… pic.twitter.com/cMzDs6nmxF
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27-year-old Walter Ringfield, who was already on probation for a previous felony, was apprehended for stealing a security fob and keys from MCTEC.
The stolen items were of minimal value, but their disappearance led to a comprehensive security reprogramming costing $19,000, as reported by KTAR News.
The stolen items have been recovered by Maricopa County Elections, but the incident compelled election workers to redo logic and accuracy testing of all equipment to uphold the integrity of the election process.
Ringfield was caught on video casually taking the items and concealing them in his pockets. Detectives discovered the stolen gear during a search of his Phoenix home and car, resulting in his arrest on charges of theft and criminal damage.
What was Ringfield’s motive? According to the probable cause statement, he alleged that he was attempting to “clean up” in order to secure his temporary job permanently.
Smooth move, Walter.
The timing of this debacle is particularly unfortunate as Maricopa County prepares for its primary election on July 30th, with early voting beginning on July 3rd. Now, due to Ringfield’s actions, election officials must rectify the aftermath he left behind.
Hopefully, Maricopa County Elections can resolve this issue and guarantee a smooth and secure election despite the unnecessary setback caused by Ringfield’s actions.
The Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center had this to say:
“Maricopa County Elections has referred a matter to law enforcement that involves an alleged theft of an item by a temporary election worker from the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center.
On Friday morning, when completing a daily inventory, Maricopa County elections workers identified that an item was taken from the Ballot Tabulation Center on Thursday evening, and staff took immediate action to investigate the matter and contacted the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office. The stolen item has been recovered but to ensure the integrity of Maricopa County Elections, election workers are reprogramming and re-conducting logic and accuracy testing of all equipment.
Due to the on-going criminal investigation of this matter, we cannot provide any additional comment or details. For information, please contact Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Office.”
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