The man accused of stealing a security key from the Maricopa County Elections Department pleaded not guilty on Tuesday.
Walter Ringfield Jr. is accused of taking the security key while working as a temporary election worker at the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center.
Last week, Ringfield was indicted by a state grand jury on one count of computer tampering stemming from the incident. That charge is classified as a Class 2 felony, because it deals with computer systems that are considered critical infrastructure.
Class 2 felonies can carry a prison sentence of between 3 and 12.5 years, though additional years can be added for repeat offenders.
Ringfield currently faces charges in three other cases as well, including an alleged theft in 2023 from a Fry’s grocery store; trespassing and burglary charges from an incident at the Arizona Senate; and the theft of jewelry from the Phoenix Art Museum.
