FBI offering $25K reward for information on ballot box fires suspect

The FBI said Wednesday it is offering up to $25,000 as a reward for information about the suspect behind recent ballot box fires in Oregon and Washington.

Authorities believe a male suspect who may have metalworking and welding experience was behind three ballot drop box fires in Portland and Vancouver, Washington, last month, including one that damaged hundreds of ballots in Vancouver about a week before Election Day. They have described him as a white man, age 30 to 40, who is balding or has very short hair.

According to the FBI, on October 8 between 3:30 and 4 a.m., the suspect put an improvised incendiary device on a ballot drop box in Vancouver. On October 28 between 2 and 4 a.m., improvised incendiary devices were placed on ballot drop boxes in Vancouver and Portland.

Previous coverage: Incendiary attacks on ballot drop boxes in Washington, Oregon spark election security concerns

The FBI is specifically asking for help identifying the suspect’s car. Surveillance cameras captured images of a dark-colored, early 2003 to 2004 Volvo S-60 sedan, but at the time of the two most recent ballot box fires on Oct. 28 in Portland and Vancouver, it had a fraudulent temporary Washington license plate on the rear and no front plate, the bureau said.

“No detail is too small.” Gregory Austin, acting special agent in charge of the FBI’s Seattle field office, told reporters Wednesday. “No tip is too minor. If it relates to a Volvo matching our description, we want to hear about it. The FBI’s mission is to protect the American people and uphold the Constitution. These three ballot box fires were an attack on both.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact the FBI’s toll free tip line at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324), your local FBI office, the nearest American Embassy or Consulate or people can submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.

Mulitple law enforcement agencies investigating

William Brooks, acting special agent in charge of the FBI’s Portland field office, said multiple local law enforcement agencies were providing resources, such as investigators, analysts and bomb technicians, to help the investigation.

“Voters in both Oregon and Washington deserve answers in this case,” Brooks said. “Their votes and their voices matter, and we can’t allow one person’s violent actions to infringe on their rights.”

Investigators are trying to identify the person responsible and the motive for the suspected arson attacks.

The October 28 incendiary devices were marked with the message “Free Gaza,” according to a law enforcement official who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation. A third device placed at a different drop box in Vancouver on October 8 also carried the words “Free Palestine” in addition to “Free Gaza,” the official said.

Authorities are trying to figure out whether the suspect actually had pro-Palestinian views or used the message to try to create confusion, the official said.

A fire suppression system in the Portland drop box prevented most of the ballots from being scorched. Just three of the ballots inside were damaged.

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The ballot box in Vancouver also had a fire suppression system inside, but it failed to prevent hundreds of ballots from being damaged during the October 28 drop box fire. Elections staff were able to identify nearly 500 damaged ballots retrieved from the box, according to the Clark County auditor’s office.

No ballots were damaged during the previous dropbox fire in the city on October 8.

In response, the county auditor’s office increased how frequently it collects ballots and changed collection times to the evening to keep the ballot boxes from remaining full of ballots overnight when similar crimes are considered more likely to occur.

Contributing: The Associated Press and Julia Dallas, MyNorthwest