According to officials, a man has been charged for allegedly stealing a security fob from Maricopa County election headquarters and items from the Arizona Senate. The same individual is also accused of theft from the Phoenix Art Museum.
According to court records, Walter Ringfield, a 27-year-old resident of Phoenix, is accused of stealing vintage jewelry worth approximately $9,500 from the museum on May 20th.
According to state police, Ringfield allegedly committed theft in the Arizona Senate building, where he took away several items, including “seven challenge coins and three state of Arizona coasters” from a legislative security guard on June 15. He is also accused of stealing a lanyard with a security fob and a physical key from the Maricopa County election center a few days later.
Ringfield was employed on a temporary basis in the tabulation room of the election center at the time. It is worth noting that he is not affiliated with any political party. Thankfully, the lanyard and items belonging to the Senate were successfully located and retrieved.
The county theft has resulted in felony computer tampering charges and felony burglary charges, as well as misdemeanor theft and criminal trespassing charges in relation to the Senate incident. Additionally, a reported museum theft has led to a felony theft charge being filed against him.
At the moment, Ringfield is in custody and is being held without bail. Public defenders are representing him in court. The Arizona Republic reached out to the Maricopa County Public Defender’s Office for comment but did not receive an immediate response.
As the state primary draws near, the case continues to develop with each passing day. With a polarized political climate and the spread of voting conspiracies, election operations have been under increased scrutiny across the nation in recent years.
Last week, Maricopa County Sheriff Russ Skinner stated that his team is actively investigating the alleged county theft. They are meticulously examining both digital and physical evidence. Skinner clarified that there is no evidence to suggest that the fob was stolen to impact the election.
Skinner stated that although they have not found any evidence yet, they are not completely dismissing the possibility. “We will exhaust all avenues of investigation and leave no stone unturned,” he added.
Who is Walter Ringfield?
According to a spokesperson from the Elections Department, Ringfield was employed as a temporary ballot tabulation center operator on June 3. As a part of the hiring process, a background check was conducted, which revealed no criminal convictions.
According to court records, Ringfield had been accused of taking over $1,000 in cash from Fry’s Food and Drug in a previous incident. However, the case did not proceed to trial, and Ringfield was instead enrolled in a diversion program, resulting in the suspension of prosecution.
According to county officials, Ringfield’s employment was terminated on June 21.
Upon reviewing the voter records, it was discovered that Ringfield had registered as an independent back in 2015. However, he later switched to the Democratic party for a brief period of time less than a year later. In the most recent primary elections, he had requested Democratic ballots. Furthermore, he seems to have filed a statement of interest with the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office in January 2023 to run for the U.S. Senate as a Democrat.
Ringfield’s Instagram account showcases photos of him alongside prominent Democratic U.S. Senators, Mark Kelly and Amy Klobuchar. However, he also seems to have a Truth Social account where he shares links to conservative news sources like the Epoch Times and Gateway Pundit.
Last week, several social media accounts that were believed to belong to Ringfield were either made private or deleted.
The Arizona Senate GOP has come forward with more allegations of theft, this time suggesting that the man accused of stealing from an election center may have also stolen from the Legislature.