Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters Turns Herself In On Obstruction Charges
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (CBS4) - Embattled Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters has turned herself in to police on charges of obstructing a peace officer and obstructing government operations. The criminal charge relates to an iPad the Mesa County District Attorney's Office wanted to examine.
Video of the arrest in Grand Junction went viral -- including being posted on The War Room -- a show hosted by political commentator Steve Bannon.
Peters was booked Thursday morning then released on $500 bond.
The embattled clerk has been involved in an investigation into an alleged election security breach involving voting equipment from her office.
Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold filed a lawsuit last month to ban Peters from overseeing the 2022 elections.
Griswold's office has asked a Mesa County judge to appoint Brandi Bantz as the new Designated Election Official for Mesa County. She's also announced her intention to appoint former Colorado Secretary of State Wayne Williams and current Mesa County Treasurer Sheila Reiner, both Republicans, as election supervisors to assist Bantz as needed.
That move is in direct response to Peters' refusal to confirm her intent to comply with security protocols as the chief election official in Mesa County. On Jan. 10, Griswold sent Peters an order and Certification and Attestation of Compliance, which would require Peters to certify that she would comply with election-related security protocols. Peters declined to sign the documents.
In November of last year, search warrants were served to Peters after voting system information turned up on public websites as revealed earlier in 2021 by Griswold. Federal agents, as well as investigators from the attorney general and district attorney's offices, were involved in the raid on Peters' home.
