DENVER (AP) — An arrest warrant was issued Thursday for an accused Colorado clerk who became a hero to election conspiracy theorists after she allegedly traveled out of state despite a court order not to, according to court documents .
A judge revoked bail for Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters, who is accused of tampering with voting equipment, after District Attorney Dan Rubinstein said in documents he learned she had traveled to Nevada for a conference.
Rubinstein said he made the discovery after Peters sent a notarized letter in Las Vegas on Tuesday to Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold, according to court documents. The letter was released by the secretary of state’s office and sought a recount of her failed primary for the Republican nomination in the secretary of state race.
Peters repeated former President Donald Trump’s false theories about the 2020 election. She and her top deputy are being prosecuted for allegedly allowing a hard drive to be copied during an election equipment update in May 2021. A former staffer in her office was also arrested this week on charges that she was part of the scheme.
Rubinstein previously said he would not object to Peters traveling outside of Colorado during her campaign for secretary of state. But the election was held on June 28, and court documents say the letter was notarized on July 12. Judge Matthew Barrett ordered Peters on Monday not to travel until the post-election approval process for her travel is resolved.
Peters did not immediately return a phone call or message seeking comment, and a phone message left with Peters’ attorney, Harvey Steinberg, was not immediately returned.
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Peters is charged with three counts of attempting to influence a public servant, criminal impersonation, two counts of conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation, one count of identity theft, first-degree official misconduct, breach of duty and failure to comply of the Secretary of State.
She dismissed the charges against her as politically motivated and has yet to enter a plea.
Mesa County, in western Colorado, is mostly rural and heavily Republican. Trump won it in the 2020 presidential election with nearly 63% of the vote. President Joe Biden won Colorado overall with 55.4% of the state’s vote.
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