A man who officials say stole a security fob from a county election headquarters also faces preliminary charges in a case of reported theft from the Arizona Senate.

Arizona state police are recommending charges of felony burglary, misdemeanor theft and misdemeanor criminal trespassing against Walter Ringfield, a 27-year-old Phoenix resident who isn’t currently registered as a member of a political party.

Police say he entered the Arizona Senate building and took numerous items, including “seven challenge coins and three state of Arizona coasters,” from a legislative security guard on June 15. To get to the items, officials say Ringfield entered a restricted area behind closed doors.

The theft was discovered on June 17 and reported to the Arizona Department of Public Safety on June 19, according to court documents. Investigators served a search warrant on Ringfield’s home and recovered the items.

He also is accused of stealing a lanyard with a security fob and a physical key from the Maricopa County election center on June 20, officials said. He was working in the center’s tabulation room as a temporary employee. Both items were recovered.

Ringfield initially faced preliminary charges of felony criminal damage and misdemeanor theft in the county incident. Prosecutors later filed a direct complaint formally charging him with felony computer tampering. He is currently in custody and is being held without bail.

The case comes just about a week before early ballots are set to go out to voters for the state primary. In recent years, election operations have been subject to increased scrutiny nationwide amid a polarized political climate and the spread of voting conspiracies.

Maricopa County Sheriff Russ Skinner said Tuesday that investigators were continuing to actively look into the reported county theft and were combing through digital and physical evidence. He said there isn’t “any indication” that the fob was stolen in an effort to influence the election.

“But, we’re not ruling it out,” Skinner said. “We’re going to leave no stone unturned … but at this point, we do not have anything that indicates that.”

State police said in court documents that Ringfield was being held in the Lower Buckeye Jail on “unrelated charges from the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office” when they interviewed him on Wednesday.

Who is Walter Ringfield?

Elections officials said Monday that Ringfield was hired on June 3 as a temporary ballot tabulation center operator. A background check was required and came back without any criminal convictions, according to an Elections Department spokesperson.

But court documents show Ringfield was previously charged with pocketing more than $1,000 in cash from Fry’s Food And Drug last year. The case never went to a conviction. Instead, Ringfield entered a diversion program and prosecution was suspended.

Ringfield was terminated on 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 has requested Democratic ballots. He also appears to have filed a statement 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 U.S. Sens. Mark Kelly and Amy Klobuchar. But he also appears to use a Truth Social account that includes links to conservative outlets such as the Epoch Times and Gateway Pundit.

Other social media accounts that appear to be Ringfield’s were made private or deleted as of Monday afternoon.

What happens next?

Commissioner Lacey Fisher appointed a public defender to Ringfield during his initial appearance in court for his Senate theft charges on Thursday afternoon.

He is scheduled for a slew of court appearances within the coming week. Ringfield will appear in court for an evidentiary hearing related to the alleged county theft on Friday afternoon. He is also due for several hearings related to the alleged Senate theft next week.

During his court appearance, Ringfield asked Fisher whether the two cases would ultimately end up being combined.

“Potentially, it eventually will,” Fisher said. “Talk to your attorney. Your attorney can make a motion to try and combine them.”

A spokesperson for the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office said prosecutors also intend to reinstate prosecution against Ringfield for stealing from Fry’s Food and Drug last year.

Sasha Hupka covers county government and election administration for The Arizona Republic. Reach her at sasha.hupka@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @SashaHupka. Follow her on Instagram or Threads: @sashahupkasnaps.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Felony charges recommended for Walter Ringfield in 2 theft cases