GRAND JUNCTION — State Sen. Steve King was charged Wednesday with three felonies and two misdemeanors for allegedly falsifying timecards, theft and failing to report income as required of state legislators.

King was handed a summons in Grand Junction on Wednesday listing felonies of embezzlement of public property, forgery and theft and misdemeanors for second-degree forgery and official misconduct. The charges carry potential prison or jail sentences if he is found guilty.

The Republican also could lose his law enforcement certification and be banned from seeking public office if he is convicted.

The charges were filed by 18th Judicial District Attorney George Brauchler, who took over an investigation this month to avoid a conflict of interest with agencies in Mesa County or with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.

King, 56, who has served eight years in the legislature, previously had worked more than three decades in law enforcement in the Grand Junction and with Mesa County.

“Disappointing,” was King’s comment via text message Wednesday about the charges. He added it would not be appropriate to comment further at this time.

King is scheduled to appear in Mesa District Court on Aug. 18.

His troubles began in June when he was fired from his part-time job at the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office for allegedly falsifying a timecard. King had been an investigator with the department before he was elected to the legislature in 2006 and had continued to work for the sheriff’s office during his two terms representing House District 54 and one term as the senator for District 7.

The charges allege that — going back to July 1, 2013, and continuing until mid-December 2013 — King embezzled money by unlawfully converting public monies or property to his own use. The sheriff’s office and the university are listed as the victims in that allegation.

The forgery charges allege that King falsely altered a sheriff’s office timecard. The theft charge alleges that he unlawfully and knowingly obtained $2,000 to $5,000 from the sheriff’s office and the university.

King said recently he didn’t know if he would step down from his Senate seat because of his legal troubles. His term is up at the end of the year.

“I am getting inquiries for employment from the private sector and will evaluate those based on what is best for our family,” he said in a text.

Colorado Republican Party press secretary Owen Loftus said Thursday that he was surprised to hear about the charges and would not comment on how the party would proceed with King.

He was running for Mesa County sheriff at the time of his firing but dropped out of the race in July when the investigation of his finances broadened to include campaign finance issues and expense reports.

King had been working at Colorado Mesa University as a security coordinator while also working at the sheriff’s office. He did not disclose his sheriff’s office employment to the university or his university employment to the sheriff’s office. He sometimes billed 10-hour days at the university.

The investigation was turned over to Brauchler to avoid a conflict of interest in Mesa County or with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, which is now headed by King’s former boss, Stan Hilkey.

Hilkey fired King as a last act before Hilkey left the sheriff’s office to take over as director of the Colorado Department of Public Safety. The CBI is one of the agencies Hilkey now oversees.

In an interview following his withdrawal from the sheriff’s race, King said the discrepancies on his timecards and his reporting were honest mistakes and misunderstandings.

Nancy Lofholm: 970-256-1957, nlofholm@denverpost.com or twitter.com/nlofholm