Accused San Francisco Ballot Thief Pleads Not Guilty
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- A San Francisco polling inspector has pleaded not guilty to stealing dozens of ballots and other elections material.
Karl Bradfield Nicholas was arraigned on Friday on two counts of unlawful tampering with voting machines and ballots and a felony computer crime charge.
Prosecutors alleged the 50-year-old Nicholas stole about 75 ballots, the voter roster and the voting machine memory pack and access key from a polling site in the city's southernmost district in Tuesday's election.
The ballots were later found floating in a pond at the Palace of the Fine Arts in the city's Marina neighborhood.
Nicholas is due back in court for a preliminary hearing on Nov. 19.
(© 2010 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)