South Dakota state Sen. Thomas Pischke is facing felony charges for falsifying election documents.

Pischke faces two felony counts of knowingly submitting a falsified or forged document after an investigation by the Minnehaha County auditor’s office revealed that he had falsified signatures to put candidates forward for state Republican Party positions without them knowing, The Associated Press reports.

Pischke admitted to filling out his own form at the auditor’s office to run for precinct committeeman but he denied filling out forms for others, according to court documents. But DNA evidence matching Pischke was found on the envelopes containing the forms with the falsified signatures and surveillance video identified a vehicle near a mail drop box that was registered to Pischke.

Pischke turned himself in to the Minnehaha County Jail on Tuesday and was released. He is due back in court on July 7th for his first hearing.

Jim Eschenbaum, the Chair of the South Dakota Republican Party, said Pischke will not attend the biennial Republican Party state convention, which begins Thursday and will step away from his duties in the party.

“It’s a bad optic for the party,” Eschenbaum said. “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.”

“Tom has been one of our most conservative voters. Just a stellar conservative vote record,” he added. “I’m still gonna apply ‘innocent until proven guilty,’ because that’s what our justice system is based on.”

Pischke is not resigning from the legislature. He is running for re-election against Bryan Breitling, a former Republican state lawmaker who is running as an independent, in the November general election.

If convicted, Pischke faces possible expulsion from the state senate since South Dakota law bans any person convicted of perjury, bribery or an infamous crime from serving in the legislature, the AP noted.