San Francisco Poll Worker Arrested For Stealing Ballots

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - San Francisco police have arrested a polling inspector on suspicion of stealing up to 75 ballots, a voting roster and other election materials in a bizarre heist.

Lt. Lyn Tomioka said Wednesday that 50-year-old Karl Bradfield Nicholas was taken into custody around 1 a.m. She said none of the ballot items have been recovered.

Director of Elections John Arntz said that on Tuesday afternoon a polling inspector broke into the ballot-counting machine and took off with the ballots and a memory pack that records information from the ballots.

Arntz said he also stole the cell phone of a teenage poll worker.

Police said Nicholas was booked on three felonies, including burglary. He's being held in the county jail.

A message left at a number listed for Nicholas in voter registration records was not immediately returned.

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