Charge dismissed against Pueblo man accused of tampering with voting machine in 2022

An election tampering charge filed against a Pueblo man accused of removing an official seal and pulling a USB port from a voting machine during the June 2022 primaries has been dismissed. A Pueblo District Court judge ordered Richard Patton, 32, to following his arrest, and, in December 2022, the judge ruled that he was not competent to stand trial.

The judge in hopes of bringing him to trial at a later date. Instead, Patton’s felony election tampering charge was dismissed Wednesday, although court records do not specify the reason. Prosecutors could not immediately be reached Friday for comment. A considers whether a criminal defendant is mentally ill or developmentally disabled and whether that prevents the defendant from understanding the court process.

A gag order was placed on those involved in the criminal proceedings because the case generated significant media attention in the wake of ongoing conspiracy theories about rigged elections, fueled by former President Donald Trump’s lies about the 2020 presidential election. On June 28, 2022, Patton alarmed some election workers when he asked about security when he came to vote at a polling station on 720 N.

Main St. in Pueblo. After being shown how to operate the machine, it appeared he cast a vote like any other normal voter and left. However, a person disinfecting the machine noticed a message flashing on the screen that said, “USB device detected. Please call a poll worker for assistance,” . An official election seal on the underside of the machine had been altered and a USB port had been pulled out.

Patton was charged with the crime in November 2022..