Former Carroll County deputy sentenced

CARROLL COUNTY — On Friday, Oct.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 March 2022, Carroll County Prosecutor Tony Rogers contacted the ASP Criminal Investigation Division (CID) to request an investigation into CCSO Deputy Blake Ringberg. Ringberg resigned from CCSO during the investigation and is no longer employed as a law enforcement officer in the State of Arkansas.
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.
On Thursday, Dec. 14, 2023, ASP executed an arrest warrant for Ringberg, taking him into custody. Ringberg’s original charges included additional counts of forgery in the 2nd degree, tampering with the public record and abuse of office. His plea agreement included the state's agreement not to prosecute those charges, and for Ringberg to plead guilty to the remaining charges he has now been sentenced for.
$11,622.36 of Ringbergs total cost under the agreement is a victim restitution. The restitution is to be paid into the Carroll County General Fund.