The man who allegedly set a ballot box on fire in Boston Sunday morning is in custody, per local reports.
Worldy Armand, 39, was arrested by Boston Police near Copley Square and Boston Public Library where the arson occurred just hours after investigators released two photos of the suspect, according to CBS Boston.
Armand will reportedly be arraigned in municipal court Monday. He is being charged with willful and malicious burning, according to a statement posted on The Boston Police Department’s website.
The suspect lit a fire inside the dropbox located in the Back Bay neighborhood of Boston at 4:00 a.m. Sunday, according to the police. (RELATED: Appeals Court Reverses Texas Ballot Box Decision, Reinstates Greg Abbott’s Restrictions)
Pedestrians place ballots in an official mail-in ballot drop box outside of the L.A. County Registrar’s office ahead of Election Day on October 14, 2020. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
The box contained 122 ballots at the time of the fire. Massachusetts Secretary of State Bill Galvin said about five to 10 of the ballots were completely destroyed, according to CBS Boston.
The Boston Election Department said voters who used that box to drop off their ballot between 2:30 p.m. Saturday and 4:00 a.m. Sunday will be mailed a new ballot. (RELATED: Early Vote Count Passes 2016 Total With 11 Days Until The Election)
“I’m very angry,” Galvin told CBS Boston. “It is our intention to make sure that the individuals who did this are apprehended and prosecuted. We want to make sure of the integrity of the electoral process.” Galvin has also instructed Massachusetts towns to lock ballot boxes on Halloween, CBS Boston reports.
The city has increased security and police patrols in areas with ballot boxes, according to CBS Boston. Ballots from boxes around the city are collected daily.
A resident drops off a vote-by-mail ballot in a secure drop box on October 02, 2020 in Chicago, Illinois.(Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Boston Mayor Marty Walsh released a statement on Twitter commending Boston Police for the quick arrest.
“From our election workers who are working hard to trace every legible ballot in that dropbox, to our firefighters who quickly responded to the fire, and our police officers who launched an immediate investigation, voters can be assured that our first and foremost priority is maintaining the integrity of our elections process,” Walsh said in the statement.