A grand jury also indicted Deputy Clerk Belinda Knisley after an investigation into election equipment tampering and official misconduct.
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — A Mesa County grand jury on Tuesday returned a 13-count indictment against Clerk and Recorder Tina Peters (R) and Deputy Clerk Belinda Knisley related to the investigation into election equipment tampering and official misconduct.
Peters was indicted on 10 counts and Knisley on six. Both were under investigation related to their involvement in a 2021 data security breach with the county’s election equipment, according to the indictment.
Peters and Knisley “devised and executed a deceptive scheme which was designed to influence public servants, breach security protocols, exceed permissible access to voting equipment, and set in motion the eventual distribution of confidential information to unauthorized people,” according to the indictment.
Video above: Mesa County judge issues embattled GOP Clerk Tina Peters contempt citation, published March 2, 2022.
- Three counts of attempting to influence a public servant
- Conspiracy to commit attempting to influence a public servant
- Criminal impersonation
- Conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation
- Identity theft
- First-degree official misconduct
- Violation of duty
- Failing to comply with the Secretary of State
Knisley faces six counts:
- Three counts of attempting to influence a public servant
- Conspiracy to commit attempting to influence a public servant
- Violation of duty
- Failing to comply with the Secretary of State
Of those charges, Peters faces seven felonies and three misdemeanors, and Knisley faces four felonies and two misdemeanors.
According to the indictment, Peters and Knisley violated state rules to get an unknown man into the May 25 and 26, 2021, in-person systems upgrade of the county’s Dominion Voting Systems equipment for the November 2021 election.
Secretary of State (SOS) rules specify that only SOS representatives, Dominion Voting experts and a few designated county elections staff may be present for the upgrade, which is known as a “trusted build.” No members of the public are allowed, according to the indictment.
Peters and Knisley had security cameras turned off and had county staff create access for a temporary employee to be present at the upgrade. The access was designated for Gerald “Jerry” Wood, whom Peters contacted for potential contract work on the Dominion Voting machines.
Wood testified that he met once with Peters and Knisley before the upgrade and then returned an access badge that was created for him. He never worked for Mesa County in any capacity and wasn’t present during the “trusted build,” but an unknown person used his badge to attend the upgrade, according to the indictment.
In early August, the SOS learned of a security breach in which images of the Mesa County election management system and related passwords were posted to the internet, the indictment says.
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser and District Attorney Dan Rubinstein said in a statement:
“Yesterday, the Mesa County grand jury returned an indictment after the presentation of evidence in an ongoing investigation into the alleged election system breach in Mesa County. The grand jury, randomly selected from the same pool of citizens that elected Clerk Tina Peters and chosen months before any of these alleged offenses occurred, concluded there is probable cause that Clerk Peters and Deputy Clerk Knisley committed crimes.
“A grand jury is comprised of citizens who determine whether probable cause of criminal activity has been established. Once indicted, the case must be proven in a court of law beyond a reasonable doubt.
“This investigation is ongoing, and other defendants may be charged as we learn more information. We remind everyone that these are allegations at this point and that they are presumed innocent until proven guilty.”
Arrest warrants were issued for both Peters and Knisley as a result of the indictment, but so far neither has been taken into custody.
This story is developing and will be updated as more information becomes available.
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George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism