Sen. Thomas Pischke (R-SD) is set to step away from his party duties as he faces two felony counts for forgery in election documents.

Pischke is specifically accused of intentionally “falsifying signatures to put candidates forward for state Republican Party positions without them knowing,” according to ABC News.

After an investigation found he falsified the signatures, Pischke reportedly turned himself in to the Minnehaha Country Jail in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, on Tuesday. However, he was released, having allegedly promised not to skip any future court dates.

The preliminary hearing is set for Tuesday, July 7.

While Pischke and his attorney did not reply to The Associated Press with comment, Jim Eschenbaum, the chair of the South Dakota Republican Party, told the outlet that Pischke agreed to leave his party responsibilities as Region 1 Director and Minnehaha County State Committeeman.

“It’s a bad optic for the party,” Eschenbaum told AP on Wednesday. “I’m disappointed that this has happened. But we also have to just be honest about what’s going on, you know, and deal with it.”

If convicted of one or both felonies, Pischke would not be able to maintain a position within South Dakota’s Republican Party. The South Dakota Constitution also established that anyone who has been convicted of bribery, perjury, or other infamous crimes is ineligible to hold a seat in the state legislature.

Pischke was reportedly the subject of a months-long investigation, which ultimately uncovered sixteen documents containing forged signatures and, according to AP, “discrepancies with registered voting addresses.”

Per a post to X, thirteen people signed affidavits that confirmed the signatures were forged.

Pischke apparently denied filing forms for other people in the affidavit, but AP reported “the investigation uncovered DNA evidence matching Pischke on envelopes containing the forms and used surveillance video to identify a vehicle near a mail drop box that was registered to Pischke.”

While not yet confirmed if he will drop his bid for reelection in November, he is running against Independent Bryan Breitling.

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