A man who officials say stole a security fob from Maricopa County election headquarters and items from the Arizona Senate now faces a charge in a case of reported theft from the Phoenix Art Museum.

Court documents allege Walter Ringfield, a 27-year-old Phoenix resident, took vintage jewelry valued at about $9,500 from the museum on May 20.

State police say Ringfield also 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. He is accused of stealing a lanyard with a security fob and a physical key from the Maricopa County election center days later, officials said.

At the time, Ringfield was working in the election center’s tabulation room as a temporary employee. He isn’t currently registered as a member of a political party. The lanyard and the items from the Senate were recovered.

He now faces charges of felony computer tampering in connection with the county theft, and felony burglary, misdemeanor theft and misdemeanor criminal trespassing charges in connection with the Senate incident. He also faces a felony theft charge in connection with the reported museum theft.

Ringfield is currently in custody and is being held without bail. He is being represented by public defenders. The Maricopa County Public Defender’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Arizona Republic.

The case continues to unfold days 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 last week 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.”

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 trial. 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 last week.

More allegations: AZ Senate GOP: Man accused of election center theft may have also stolen from Legislature

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. Sign up for her weekly election newsletter, Republic Recount.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Man accused of theft at election center, AZ Senate faces new charge