Arrest made after USPS drop box fire in Phoenix damaged ballots

PHOENIX – An arrest has reportedly been made after a United States Postal Service mailbox in Phoenix is ​​believed to have been set on fire early Thursday morning, damaging several mail-in ballots.

Emergency crews were called to the USPS Osborn Station, near Seventh Avenue and Indian School Road, around 1:30 a.m. Thursday, where a mail collection box was on fire.

The Phoenix Fire Department said an unknown person lit a fire inside the blue collection box and fled the area.

Crews were able to quickly extinguish the fire, but investigators were later seen sifting through pieces of mail that had been burned in the fire.

“Approximately 20 ballots were damaged, along with additional miscellaneous mail,” Phoenix Fire Department officials said. The postal inspector has since taken possession of the damaged ballots and mail.

Phoenix police say surveillance videos helped them quickly locate and arrest the suspect, a 35-year-old man, on an unrelated warrant. While in police custody, he allegedly admitted to starting the fire, but claimed that he “wanted to be arrested” and that his actions were not politically motivated or related to the election.

A USPS spokesperson and a postal inspector told Scripps News Phoenix, “This doesn’t happen often and is rare,” and urged people to place mail in collection boxes before the last collection time of each day.

“Postal inspectors are working with the local election commission to ensure that any affected election mail is remediated and the rest of the mail is sent to the appropriate parties,” the USPS said in a statement. “If you believe your mail-in ballot may have been affected by this incident, please contact your local elections office to confirm receipt and identify options for tracking your ballot. If you believe your mail-in was affected by this recent incident, please file a report directly with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service by calling 877-876-2455 (say “Theft”) or visiting www.uspis.gov/report.”

USPS continued: “The Inspection Service takes all reports of election crimes involving the U.S. Mail very seriously. The Postal Service should be aware that the entire federal government investigative force will be directed toward them, including postal inspectors, special agents from the USPS Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecutors from the Department of Justice. “This approach ensures that American citizens can vote with confidence that their mail and elections, two of the most important institutions. trustworthy institutions of the United States, are free from criminal disturbances.

Scripps News Phoenix also reached out to election officials for information affecting those whose ballots may have been damaged:

Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer issued the following statement:

“We are waiting for details from the authorities. We encourage all voters who used that drop box in the last 36 hours to check the status of their ballots at https://BeBallotReady.Vote. Successful delivery is usually reflected on that website within 72 hours. Voters should know that tomorrow, October 25, is the last day to request a replacement ballot. If a voter believes they were affected by this incident, they can learn more about how to make that request at https://Solicitud.Maricopa.Vote.”

Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes issued the following statement regarding the incident:

“I have been alerted to the recent attack on a USPS collection box in Phoenix, which damaged several ballots. Thanks to the quick coordinated response between election officials, law enforcement and the postal service, we were able to recover many intact and affected ballots Voters will be contacted to ensure they can cast a vote. Any attack that affects our democratic process carries criminal consequences. Ballot abuse is a felony in Arizona, and mailbox vandalism is a crime. The Phoenix Fire Department, Phoenix Police and the Arizona USPS for their quick and effective response, which helped save many ballots. Arizona counties have already equipped ballot boxes with security checks to prevent and detect attacks. We are committed to continuing our partnerships that protect and preserve the right to vote for all citizens.

This article was originally published by Scripps Phoenix News.