2 weeks Ago By Jack Phillips
The man suspected of setting fires in Oregon and Washington state ballot drop boxes is a metalworker and might be planning more attacks, officials said Wednesday. Portland Police Bureau spokesman Mike Benner said that the man, who has not been identified, had a “wealth of experience in metal fabrication and welding” and fabrication before he set off incendiary devices in Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, Washington. The suspect is described as white, 30 to 40 years old, and balding or with very short hair, officials said.
Police previously said surveillance video showed the man driving a black or dark-colored 2001 to 2004 Volvo S-60. The vehicle did not have a front license plate, but it did have a rear plate with unknown letters or numbers. Benner said law enforcement investigators believe the suspect is connected to three incidents in Portland and Vancouver this month.
Investigators are trying to identify the person responsible and the motive for the suspected arson attacks, which destroyed or damaged hundreds of ballots at the drop box in Vancouver on Monday when the box’s fire suppression system didn’t work as intended. Surveillance images captured a Volvo pulling up to a drop box in Portland just before security personnel nearby discovered a fire inside the box on Monday, according to Benner. The early-morning fire was extinguished quickly thanks to the box’s suppression system and a nearby security guard, police said.
Just three of the ballots inside were damaged. In Vancouver, the House race between Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Wash.
) and Republican Joe Kent is anticipated to be close, according to the Cook Political report. “Our right to vote needs to be protected under all circumstances. We can’t yield to intimidation, and we must continue to stand up against unpatriotic acts such as this one,” she said.
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