Phoenix man who sought to run as Dem in AZ Senate race accused of stealing Maricopa tabulator key from election center

A 27-year-old man who filed papers expressing interest in a Senate run as a Democrat and worked on Democrat campaigns has been accused of stealing an election tabulator key from an Arizona county’s election department in June has been charged with three other thefts within the past year. His other charges from an indictment include theft, burglary, and criminal trespass. 

On Tuesday, Walter Ringfield Jr. pleaded not guilty in Maricopa County Superior Court to one count of computer tampering for allegedly stealing the ballot tabulator key from the Maricopa County Elections Department while he was employed as a temporary election worker on June 20. According to the Arizona Mirror, in the three other cases, Ringfield has been indicted by a grand jury for theft, burglary, and criminal trespass. 



On June 21, Ringfield was arrested for the tabulator key theft after he was seen on surveillance video putting the key in his pocket. Law enforcement located the key while searching his residence. Police later identified him as the suspect in the June 15 theft of challenge coins and coasters from the desk of an Arizona state senator in a restricted area of the Arizona Senate building. The coins were located by officers in Ringfield’s home.

After he was arrested for the tabulator key theft, a Phoenix Police research analyst recognized Ringfield in a news report as the suspect authorities were looking for pertaining to a Phoenix Art Museum theft on May 20, where over $9,500 in vintage jewelry was stolen from the museum during a private event.

Ringfield was caught on surveillance video and his car matched that of the suspect’s vehicle. During a search of his home, police also turned up shoes the suspect was wearing while committing the crime.

The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office asked the court to vacate its suspension of prosecution for the grocery store theft and to allow prosecution to resume because Ringfield allegedly violated the diversion agreement by committing new crimes.

In addition to filing a statement of interest to run for US Senate as a Democrat, despite not being old enough at 30 years of age, he also volunteered on Democrat campaigns. However, he is a registered independent, per KJZZ Phoenix. He also requested Democrat ballots in the 2020 and 2022 elections. Ringfield is unemployed and has no assets, according to court documents and at the time of all of the thefts, Ringfield was enrolled in a diversion program following a felony theft in Sept. 2023 of more than $1,000 from a grocery store.