DENVER — Mesa County’s deputy county clerk will testify against her boss Tina Peters, who is accused of tampering with election equipment and misconduct, under a plea deal approved Thursday by a district court judge.
In all, Peters, a Republican, faces 10 criminal charges. She is accused of three counts of attempting to influence a public servant, criminal impersonation, two counts of conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation and identity theft, all of which are felonies. She is also accused of first-degree official misconduct, violation of duty and failing to comply with the secretary of state, all misdemeanors.
Deputy Mesa County Clerk Belinda Knisley agreed to testify against Peters in exchange for staying out of jail or prison. She pleaded guilty to trespassing, official misconduct and violation of duty charges, all misdemeanors, for which she will spend two years on unsupervised probation.
