Ex-Mohave County sheriff’s candidate pleads guilty
KINGMAN, Ariz. - A Flagstaff, Ariz., man charged with falsifying documents to support his aborted bid for Mohave County sheriff has pleaded guilty in the case.
Michael David Hays, 49, pleaded guilty to one felony, false voter registration, and a misdemeanor, tampering with a public record offense.
Under a plea agreement entered Dec. 6 in Superior Court in Kingman, Hays faces up to three years of supervised probation but no jail time.
His sentencing is set for Jan. 18.
Hays was originally charged with two counts each of fraud and false voter registration, all felonies. Prosecutors contended he falsely claimed Mohave County voter registration and residency status when he handled paperwork to run for sheriff in early 2011.
Hays was registered to vote in both Mohave and Coconino counties. He submitted false Kingman addresses for residency while living in Flagstaff and working at an Arizona state prison in Winslow when he pulled candidacy papers, according to court records.
Hays did not submit nominating petitions and did not make the 2012 general election ballot.
