A Northern California sheriff is facing felony charges for allegedly filing false voter registration and nomination papers with a nonpermanent address, prosecutors said.
Del Norte County District Attorney Katherine Micks announced the charges — including perjury, filing false voter registration and false declaration of candidacy — against acting Sheriff Randall Waltz last week.
Waltz, formerly the county's undersheriff, was appointed to the top job in September after his predecessor abruptly resigned. After announcing plans to run in the primary election this June, he listed on his voter registration a Smith River address where he did not permanently reside, court documents say.
He also used the address for his Feb. 14 declaration of candidacy, allegedly violating the elections code by falsely stating to meet the "statutory and residency requirements to run for the office of sheriff," the complaint says.
Waltz could not immediately be reached for comment Monday. Micks' office, which filed the charges Wednesday, said it could not comment further on the case.
Property websites show the Smith River address as a furnished rental on U.S. Highway 101 near the Oregon border. The property owner told The Sacramento Bee that Waltz moved into the unit last month.
Waltz, 62, was hired as undersheriff in 2020 and previously worked for the Tulare County Sheriff's Office and as an investigator for the Fresno County district attorney's Office, according to his hiring announcement.
An arraignment is scheduled in Del Norte on March 29.
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