Ballots damaged after USPS mailbox lit on fire in Phoenix: Police

Authorities have made an arrest have a number of ballots were damaged when a United States Post Office collection mailbox was lit on fire in Phoenix, police said.

An individual lit a fire inside a drive-up collection mailbox at a USPS station early Thursday morning, according to the Phoenix Police Department, which said it responded to the scene at 1:20 a.m.

The Phoenix Fire Department was able to open the mailbox and extinguish the fire and the Postal Inspector took possession of the damaged ballots and miscellaneous mail, police said.

Phoenix police initially said that approximately 20 electoral ballots were damaged, though the Arizona Secretary of State's Office later said it believes the fire only destroyed five ballots while warning that the final figure could still change.

A suspect has been arrested in connection with the incident, Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego said Thursday afternoon.

"There is zero tolerance for criminal activity in our community, and we are working collaboratively with every level of government to bring the perpetrator to justice," Gallego said in a statement on X.

Police identified the suspect as 35-year-old Dieter Klofkorn, who was booked on one felony count of arson of property.

Klofkorn, who had an outstanding arrest warrant for an unrelated incident, allegedly admitted to setting the fire though denied any political motivation, police said.

"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," Phoenix police Sgt. Rob Scherer said in a statement.

Police did not provide details on the outstanding arrest warrant.

It is unclear if Klofkorn has an attorney who can speak on his behalf.

Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes said in a statement he was "deeply troubled by the arson attack on a USPS collection box in Phoenix."

"This deliberate act of vandalism undermines the integrity of our democratic process," he said.

Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer said in a statement Thursday that officials are "waiting for details from law enforcement" regarding the incident.

Voters who used that mailbox in the last 36 hours can check the status of their ballots here, with an update on successful delivery usually reflected within 72 hours, he said.

The last day for registered voters to request an early ballot for the election in the battleground state is Friday.

"If a voter believes they were impacted by this incident they can learn more about how to make that request at Request.Maricopa.Vote," Richer said.

Unlike USPS mailboxes, county ballot drop boxes across Arizona have fire suppression equipment, according to Fontes.

"One of the things that we have done in my office, for the drop boxes across the counties, is make sure that they have fire suppression equipment inside of those drop boxes," Fontes said during a Zoom call with election officials on Thursday. "Unfortunately, the United States Postal Service doesn't have that."