The FBI is offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to the suspect responsible for setting fire to ballot boxes in Vancouver, Washington, and Portland, Oregon. The first incident occurred in Vancouver on Oct. 8, where an incendiary device was placed in a drop box with messages supporting Palestine and Gaza. Two more ballot boxes were set on fire in Portland and Vancouver a couple of weeks later, with the same messages. Unfortunately, the fire suppression system in the Vancouver ballot box failed, resulting in the destruction of hundreds of ballots. The FBI is actively investigating these incidents and believes they are connected. Authorities describe the suspect as a White male between 30 and 40, who is an experienced metalworker and may be planning additional attacks.
The incendiary devices used in the ballot box fires were placed on the outside of the boxes. Surveillance footage captured an early 2003 to 2004 Volvo S-60 sedan driven by the suspect responsible for the crimes. The vehicle is described as dark with dark wheels and a light-colored interior, and does not have the Volvo logo on the front grill. At the time of the Oct. 28 incident, the vehicle had a fraudulent temporary Washington state license plate on the rear and no front license plate. The plate, which is not associated with a Volvo, may no longer be on the vehicle. No ballots were damaged in the first incident, while only three were damaged in the arson in Portland. However, approximately 475 damaged ballots were retrieved from the Vancouver ballot box. The elected auditor in Clark County, Washington, Greg Kimsey, called the arson a “direct attack on democracy” just days before Election Day.
The FBI Portland is actively investigating the incidents of ballot box fires in both Portland and Vancouver. Officials believe the cases are connected and are searching for a suspect described as a White male between 30 and 40 years old, who is an experienced metalworker. Authorities suspect that the suspect may be planning additional attacks. Surveillance footage captured an early 2003 to 2004 Volvo S-60 sedan driven by the suspect, which does not have the Volvo logo on the front grill. At the time of the Oct. 28 incident, the vehicle displayed a fraudulent temporary Washington state license plate and no front license plate. The plate is not associated with a Volvo and may no longer be on the vehicle. While no ballots were damaged in the first incident, only three were destroyed in the arson in Portland. However, hundreds of ballots were damaged in the Vancouver incident.
The incendiary devices used in the ballot box fires in Portland and Vancouver had messages supporting Palestine and Gaza. The first incident occurred in Vancouver on Oct. 8, with an incendiary device placed in a drop box with messages of support for Palestine and Gaza. A couple of weeks later, two more ballot boxes were set on fire in Portland and Vancouver, with the same messages. The fire suppression system in the Vancouver ballot box failed, causing extensive damage to the ballots inside. In total, approximately 475 damaged ballots were retrieved from the burned box. This arson attack was deemed a “direct attack on democracy” by the elected auditor in Clark County, Washington, Greg Kimsey, just days before Election Day. The FBI is offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to the suspect responsible for these crimes.
Authorities are actively investigating the ballot box fires in Vancouver, Washington, and Portland, Oregon, and believe they are connected. They are searching for a suspect described as a White male between 30 and 40 years old, who is an experienced metalworker. The suspect is believed to be planning additional attacks, and surveillance footage captured an early 2003 to 2004 Volvo S-60 sedan driven by the suspect. The vehicle does not have the Volvo logo on the front grill and had a fraudulent temporary Washington state license plate at the time of the Oct. 28 incident, which is not associated with a Volvo and may no longer be on the vehicle. While no ballots were damaged in the first incident, only three were destroyed in the arson in Portland. However, approximately 475 damaged ballots were retrieved from the Vancouver ballot box. Greg Kimsey, the elected auditor in Clark County, Washington, called the arson a “direct attack on democracy.”
