Arrest in office burglary at Hobbs’ campaign HQ in Arizona

PHOENIX (AP) — Phoenix police have made an arrest in connection with a burglary at the campaign headquarters for Katie Hobbs, the Democratic nominee for governor.

An officer saw a news story with surveillance photos of the suspect and recognized him as the man arrested for a burglary at another office in the area, police said. The officer contacted the jail to ensure the 36-year-old suspect would not be released and re-arrested him for the burglary at Hobbs’ office.

The man had items missing from Hobbs’ office with him when he was arrested for the unrelated burglary, said Phoenix Police Sgt. Phil Krynsky.

Police have not said whether the theft was politically motivated.

Hobbs’ campaign manager, Nicole DeMont, has said items were taken during the burglary, but the campaign has declined to say what they were.

Hobbs is in a tight race against Republican Kari Lake, a former television news anchor. Hobbs has received death threats stemming from falsehoods over the 2020 election in Arizona, which she oversaw as secretary of state.

In a statement Wednesday, DeMont blasted Lake and her allies for “spreading dangerous misinformation and inciting threats against anyone they see fit,” but stopped short of blaming Lake or her supporters for the break-in.

Lake summoned reporters to her office Thursday for an “emergency press conference” and lectured journalists for reporting on the break-in and DeMont’s statement without evidence it was tied to Lake.

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