October 24, 2024CARROLL COUNTY, Ark . — On Friday, October 18, 2024, former Carroll County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) Deputy Blake Ringberg, 54, pleaded guilty to felony charges of Theft of Property, Second-Degree Forgery, and Tampering with Public Records. Ringberg was sentenced to four years unsupervised probation and ordered to pay $13,062.36 in fines and restitution.In August 2022, the Carroll County Prosecutor’s Office requested the Arkansas State Police (ASP) Criminal Investigation Division to conduct a theft investigation concerning Ringberg.The investigation revealed Ringberg collected $11,622 in overtime from Carroll County’s Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP) without proper documentation.STEP is a federally-funded grant administered by ASP that requires law enforcement officers to conduct traffic stops and write citations for various traffic offenses.   During the ASP investigation in March of 2022, Ringberg resigned from CCSO and is no longer employed as a law enforcement officer in Arkansas.