(NewsNation) — The U.S. Postal Service and the Arson Task Force of the Phoenix Police Department are trying to determine how many ballots were damaged or destroyed when a man set fire to a mailbox early Thursday morning.
“I am concerned about the recent incident at one of our post offices involving damage to several ballots,” wrote Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego on her X account. She added she is in regular communication with the Arizona secretary of state, the Recorder’s Office and both local and federal law enforcement.
Police arrested a suspect, 35-year-old Dieter Klofkorn, who was booked into jail on a single count of arson of property. A Phoenix police news release said the suspect admitted to setting the fire.
“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 news release said.
“We are waiting for details from law enforcement. We encourage all voters who used that mailbox in the last 36 hours to check the status of their ballots,” Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer said in a statement.
“Voters should be aware that tomorrow, October 25, is the last day to request a replacement ballot,” Richer added.