Oregon
FBI offering $25K reward for info leading to suspect wanted for ballot box fires in Oregon, Washington state
The FBI announced a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to the suspect responsible for the ballot box fires that occurred in Vancouver, Washington, and Portland, Oregon.
The first incident occurred in Vancouver on Oct. 8, in which a device was placed in a drop box with the phrases “Free Palestine” and “Free Gaza” written on it.
A couple of weeks later, two more ballot boxes — one in Portland and another in Vancouver — were set on fire with incendiary devices marked with the message “Free Gaza.”
Both ballot boxes were equipped with fire suppression systems, but the system inside the ballot box in Vancouver failed, causing more ballots to be destroyed.
DEVICES USED IN PORTLAND, VANCOUVER BALLOT BOX FIRES HAD ‘FREE GAZA’ AND ‘FREE PALESTINE’ MESSAGE: REPORT
The FBI is offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to the identification, arrest, and conviction of the suspect responsible for these crimes. (FBI)
Police said the incendiary devices were placed on the outside of the boxes.
FBI Portland has said it is actively investigating both situations.
Officials said they believe that all three incidents are connected and believe that the man suspected of setting the drop boxes on fire is an experienced metalworker and may be planning additional attacks.
Authorities describe the suspect as a White male between 30 and 40, who is balding with short hair.
WASHINGTON OFFICIALS RETRIEVE ABOUT 475 DAMAGED BALLOTS FROM BURNED DROP BOX
Police released photos of a suspected vehicle allegedly involved in ballot box fires in Vancouver and Portland. (Portland Police Bureau)
The FBI said a surveillance camera captured images of an early 2003 to 2004 Volvo S-60 sedan, described to be dark, with dark wheels and a light-colored interior, driven by the suspect believed to be responsible for these crimes.
Officials said the vehicle does not have a Volvo logo on the front grill.
FIRES AT OREGON AND WASHINGTON BALLOT BOXES CONNECTED, POLICE ID ‘SUSPECT VEHICLE’: ‘ATTACK ON DEMOCRACY’
The Portland Police Bureau released images of the suspect’s vehicle that is believed to be connected to ballot box fires in Portland, Ore., and Vancouver, Wash. (Portland Police Bureau)
At the time of the Oct. 28 incident, the vehicle also displayed 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, officials said.
No ballots were damaged in the Oct. 8 incident. Only three ballots were damaged in the arson in Portland, but hundreds were damaged in the attack in Vancouver.
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Greg Kimsey, the elected auditor in Clark County, Washington, said the exact number of ballots destroyed in Vancouver was not known, but officials retrieved about 475 damaged ballots from the box.
Kimsey previously called the arson a “direct attack on democracy,” just days before Election Day.
Fox News Digital’s Bradford Betz contributed to this report.