Judge nixes arrest warrant for Republican county clerk after bond breach
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[July 16, 2022]
By Keith Coffman
DENVER (Reuters) - A Colorado judge on
Friday nixed an arrest warrant for a county clerk who was indicted on
felony charges of tampering with voting equipment and then lost a bid
for the Republican nomination to Colorado's top election-management
post.
Mesa County District Judge Matthew Barrett said he was giving Tina
Peters a break because her lawyer took responsibility for not relaying
to his client an order barring her from traveling out of state without
the court's approval. The ban was part of the terms of her bail bond
that permitted her pre-trial release from jail in March.
But Barrett warned Peters, who flew to Las Vegas this week to speak at a
symposium of conservative law enforcement officers, during the 45-minute
hearing that he would not be so lenient should it happen again.
"She is a flight risk," Barrett said. "She has resources and access to
private jets."
In March, Peters was indicted by a Colorado grand jury on election
tampering charges stemming from an alleged breach of Mesa County's
voting equipment. She has been barred by Colorado's secretary of state
from overseeing elections in the western Colorado county this year.
According to the 10-count indictment, which included
charges of criminal impersonation, conspiracy, identity theft and
official misconduct, Peters gave unauthorized personnel access to the
county's election computer server.
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Republican Secretary of State candidate for Colorado, Tina Peters, a
county clerk and election denier who's been indicted on criminal
charges for tampering with voting machines, sings the National
Anthem at her primary election night rally in Sedalia, Colorado,
U.S., June 28, 2022. REUTERS/Kevin Mohatt/File Photo
The case gained national attention in part because Peters was
outspoken in her support for former President Donald Trump's
baseless claims that the 2020 presidential election was rigged
against him.
Peters has denied any wrongdoing and blamed her legal troubles on
her political adversaries, including Colorado Secretary of State
Jena Griswold, a Democrat.
Undaunted by her indictment, Peters sought the Republican nomination
to challenge Griswold, who is up for re-election in November. But
Peters, who was permitted to travel outside Colorado while she was a
candidate for statewide office, lost the Republican primary last
month.
Peters is due back in court on Aug. 5.
(Reporting by Keith Coffman in Denver; Editing by Alexandra Ulmer
and Leslie Adler)
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