Twenty ballots were damaged after a USPS mailbox was set on fire.
Fox 10 Phoenix said the fire occurred before 1:30 a.m. on October 24, prompting fire crews to respond to the scene and eliminate the flames.
“The Postal Inspector took possession of the damaged ballots and mail,” Phoenix Fire Capt. Rob McDade said, according to the outlet. “The Phoenix Fire Investigations Task Force, which includes Phoenix Police detectives and Phoenix Fire investigators, are working with US Postal Inspectors.”
The individual believed to be involved in the incident, Dieter Bradford Klofkorn, has been arrested.
“Once the scene investigation was complete, investigators began to work on leads. This led them to a possible suspect identified as 35-year-old Dieter Klofkorn. Klofkorn was located and arrested for an outstanding and unrelated arrest warrant,” a statement from the Phoenix Police Department reads, in part. “While in custody, he was interviewed about his involvement in the arson. Klofkorn admitted to committing the arson. Klofkorn stated that he committed the arson because he wanted to be arrested and that his actions were not politically motivated and not related to anything involving the upcoming election.”
The Phoenix Police Department wrote on social media that the incident is not connected to the upcoming election.
Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer said following the incident, “We are waiting for details from law enforcement. We encourage all voters who used that mail 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 be aware that tomorrow, October 25 is the last day to request a replacement ballot. If a voter believes they were impacted by this incident they can learn more about how to make that request at https://Request.Maricopa.Vote.”
