Heather Morrison
masslive.com
Worldy Armand, 39, was taken into custody by police Sunday night in connection to a ballot box arson attempt in Boston earlier that day.
Police said smoke was coming out of an early voting ballot box in the city Sunday morning. Crews were eventually able to extinguish the fire by filling the ballot box with water.
The box had last been emptied at about 2:30 p.m. on Saturday.
The FBI became involved after Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin alerted U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling’s office, calling for an FBI investigation into an apparently deliberate attack.
“Federal authorities are now investigating this matter. For the next several weeks, it is a top priority of our offices to help maintain the integrity of the election process in Massachusetts by aggressively enforcing federal election laws,” Lelling and FBI Special Agent in Charge Joseph R. Bonavolonta said.
Officers were on patrol near Copley Square on Sunday night when they saw a male matching the description of the suspect, police said. Officers approached the individual, eventually confirming his identity and that he had an active warrant out of Ipswich District Court for Receiving Stolen Property.
Anyone who used the box recently who cannot confirm their ballot status at www.TrackMyBallotMA.com is urged to contact the Boston Elections Department. Those impacted by the fire will be mailed a replacement ballot; they can send in the replacement ballot or vote in person until 8 p.m. on Nov. 3.
Galvin urged local election officials to use drop box guards and video surveillance, and to empty drop boxes often, to enhance security over the next several days.
In a joint statement, Galvin and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh called the attack “a disgrace to democracy, a disrespect to the voters fulfilling their civic duty, and a crime.”
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