Former election worker charged with felonies in 3 thefts

Walter Ringfield is accused of thefts at the county elections department, the state legislature and the Phoenix Art Museum.

By Zach Buchanan

July 9, 2024

Security footage released by the Arizona Senate shows a man the Arizona Department of Public Safety identified as Walter Ringfield allegedly stealing coasters and challenge coins. Arizona Senate

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On Tuesday, former temporary election worker Walter Alfonso Ringfield was indicted for three thefts, including allegedly stealing a ballot tabulator key fob from the Maricopa County Elections Department on June 20. Ringfield was charged with three felonies and one misdemeanor for allegedly stealing from the elections department, the state Legislature and the Phoenix Art Museum.

Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell announced the indictments in a news release. Ringfield is being held without bond.

Ringfield became a subject of intrigue in late June when the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office arrested him for allegedly stealing keys and a ballot tabulator key fob from the county election's department, where he'd been working since June 3. The security breach forced the county to spend an estimated $19,000 reprogramming its tabulators and key fobs and redo logic-testing on them before the July 30 primary.

After Ringfield's arrest, the Arizona Department of Public Safety identified him as a suspect in the theft of three coasters and seven challenge coins from the state Legislature on June 15. Last week, the Phoenix Police Department identified Ringfield as a suspect in the theft of $9,500 worth of vintage jewelry from the Phoenix Art Museum on May 20.

DPS and Phoenix police submitted the cases to the county attorney on July 1.

Ringfield has been charged with class 2 felony computer tampering, class 3 felony theft and class 4 felony burglary. He also has been charged with criminal trespassing at the state legislature, a class 3 misdemeanor. Class 2 felonies carry a minimum sentence of four years in prison, according to state law, while class 3 and 4 felonies carry minimum sentences of 2.5 and 1.5 years, respectively.

However, a previous theft arrest could affect Ringfield's sentencing if he's convicted. In October 2023, court records show, Ringfield was charged with stealing $1,800 while working at a Fry's grocery store. A month later, the county attorney's office allowed Ringfield to enter a deferred prosecution program, suspending prosecution of the grocery store theft for two years.

As part of the agreement, Ringfield was required to "remain crime free." The agreement said that if he was "subsequently arrested for or charged with an offense" before those two years elapsed, the county attorney may reinstate the prosecution.

According to county attorney spokesperson Karla Navarrette, "The prosecution on the 2023 case has been reinstated."

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Zach Buchanan has been the news editor for the Phoenix New Times since April 2024. He's worked as a journalist in Phoenix for more than a decade, and is an alum of both The Athletic and the Arizona Republic. He's a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, and has taught as an associate professor at ASU's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

Contact: Zach Buchanan

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