A judge has lifted an arrest warrant for a Republican county clerk after a bond violation

By Keith Coffman

DENVER (Reuters) – A Colorado judge on Friday lifted an arrest warrant for a county clerk who was indicted on charges of tampering with voting equipment and then lost a bid for the Republican nomination for Colorado’s top elected office.

Mesa County District Judge Matthew Barrett said he was giving Tina Peters a break because her attorney took responsibility for not serving his client an order barring her from traveling out of state without court approval. The ban was part of the terms of her bail, which allowed her early release from prison in March.

But Barrett warned Peters, who flew to Las Vegas this week to speak at a symposium of conservative law enforcement officials, during the 45-minute hearing that he would not be so lenient if it happened again.

“She’s a flight risk,” Barrett said. “She has the resources and access to private jets.

In March, Peters was indicted by a Colorado grand jury on election tampering charges stemming from an alleged violation of voting equipment in Mesa County. She was barred by the Colorado Secretary of State from overseeing elections in the Western District of Colorado this year.

According to the 10-count indictment, which included charges of criminal impersonation, conspiracy, identity theft and malfeasance, Peters gave unauthorized personnel access to the county’s election computer server.

The case gained national attention in part because Peters was outspoken in her support of former President Donald Trump’s baseless claims that the 2020 presidential election was rigged against him.

Peters has denied any wrongdoing and blamed his legal troubles on his political opponents, including Colorado Secretary of State Jenna Griswold, a Democrat.

Undaunted by his accusation, Peters sought the Republican nomination to challenge Griswold, who is up for re-election in November. But Peters, who was allowed to travel outside of Colorado while running for state office, lost the GOP primary last month.

Peters is due back in court on August 5.

(Reporting by Keith Coffman in Denver; Editing by Alexandra Ulmer and Leslie Adler)