A Boston man was arrested in connection with a fire inside the city’s ballot box, according to police, and the Boston Electoral District told the Commonwealth Office secretary that the fire was set at around 4 a.m. on Sunday at the ballot box outside the main branch of the Boston Public Library in Copley Square. , Boston Police said officers responded at 4:11 a.m. to Area 700 Boylston Street, which is the location of the Library’s Main Branch. When they reached the scene, officers saw Boston firefighters leaning into smoke from the ballot box, and the ballot box appeared to be on fire, but firefighters were unable to determine if the fire was burning inside, according to police. Work crews eventually managed to extinguish the fire by filling the box with water, and police released pictures of a suspect Sunday evening, and officers on patrol in Copley Square saw a man matching the description at around 10:50 p.m. while talking to a 39-year-old man. Nike Armand, police discovered that he had a valid order from Ipswich County Courthouse to receive stolen property and take him into custody, and while in police custody, members of the fire investigation unit were able to identify Armand as the suspect in the ballot box fire and accused him of arson. “I want to thank the Boston Police Department for their swift action, and our law enforcement partners and community members who all played a role leading to the arrest of the suspect in the ballot box accident in Copley Square,” said a statement from Boston Mayor Marty Walsh. “From election workers who work hard to keep track of every readable ballot in a drop box, to firefighters who quickly responded to the fire, and police officers who initiate an immediate investigation, voters can be reassured first and foremost the priority is preserving the integrity of our electoral process. We are committed to making their voices heard in this election and in every election, and maintaining transparency and trust with the electorate. ”Commonwealth Secretary William Galvin contacted US Attorney General Andrew Leeling after being notified of the incident Sunday morning, and also called for the FBI to investigate the” deliberate attack. ” . When announcing their investigation, the US Attorney’s Office and the FBI issued a statement saying, in part, “Over the next several weeks, one of our top priorities is to help maintain the integrity of the Massachusetts election process by vigorously enforcing federal election laws.” The dropbox was emptied on Sunday morning, and 87 of the 122 internal ballots were readable and could be processed. The last time the box was emptied before the fire was before 2:30 pm on a Saturday afternoon. Galvin told NewsCenter 5’s Julie Lonsich that an advanced incendiary device appeared to have been used to start the fire, as the damage to the inner plastic liner was severe the ballot box. We urge Boston voters who used the Copley Square Box between 2:30 p.m. on Saturday and 4 a.m. on Sunday, and who were unable to confirm receipt of ballot papers through the state’s tracking website, to immediately contact the Boston Election Department. A replacement ballot will be sent to affected voters and they can either cast it or vote in person until 8 PM Election Day, which is November 3. Any affected voters who did not submit a new ballot would have the original vote counted manually to the greatest extent possible, according to Galvin’s office. “I sent an urgent directive (Sunday afternoon) to secure the ballot boxes,” Galvin said. “If possible, get them inside the municipal facilities. If necessary, since we are going down in this election and they need police officers there, that’s what they have to do. We’ll deal with compensation issues later.” Boston Police say Armand is expected to appear in Boston Municipal Court, and according to the forensic clerk at Malden County Courthouse, Armand was arrested October 11 and charged in connection with a fire outside the Town Line Inn Motel. The case is still open and he is due to return to court on December 3.
A Boston man was arrested in connection with a fire inside a city ballot box, according to police.
The Boston Electoral District notified the Secretary of the Commonwealth Office that the fire was ignited at around 4 am Sunday at the ballot box outside the main branch of the Boston Public Library in Copley Square.
Boston Police said officers responded at 4:11 a.m. to Area 700 Boylston Street, which is the location of the Library’s Main Branch. When they reached the scene, officers saw Boston firefighters leaning into smoke from the ballot box.
Police said the ballot box appeared to be on fire, but firefighters were unable to determine if the fire was burning from the inside. The crews eventually managed to extinguish the fire by filling the box with water.
Police released photos of a suspect Sunday evening, and officers on patrol in the Copley Square area saw a man matching the description at around 10:50 p.m. While speaking with the man, 39-year-old Nike Armand, police discovered he was a valid warrant from Ipswich County Courthouse to receive and hold stolen property.
While in police custody, personnel of the fire investigation unit were able to identify Armand as the suspect in the ballot box fire and accused him of deliberate and malicious arson.
“I want to thank the Boston Police Department for their swift action, and our law enforcement partners and community members who all played a role leading to the arrest of the suspect in the ballot box accident in Copley Square,” said a statement from Boston Mayor Marty Walsh. “From election personnel who work hard to keep track of every readable ballot in a drop box, to firefighters who quickly responded to the fire, and police officers who initiate an immediate investigation, voters can be assured first and foremost the priority is preserving the integrity of our electoral process. By making their voices heard in these elections and in every election, and maintaining transparency and trust with the electorate. “
Commonwealth Secretary William Galvin called the US Attorney General’s office, Andrew Leeling, after being notified of the accident Sunday morning, and called the FBI to investigate the “deliberate attack.”
When announcing their investigation, the US Attorney’s Office and the FBI issued a statement saying, in part, “Over the next several weeks, one of our top priorities has been for our offices to help preserve the integrity of the Massachusetts election process by enforcing federal elections with the force of laws.”
When the drop box was emptied Sunday morning, 87 of the 122 ballot papers inside were legible and could be processed. The last time the box was emptied before the fire was before 2:30 pm on a Saturday.
Galvin told Julie Loncich of NewsCenter 5 that it appears that an advanced incendiary device was used to start the fire, as the damage to the inner plastic liner of the ballot box was severe.
Boston voters who used a Copley Square drop box between 2:30 pm on Saturday and 4 am on Sunday, and who were unable to confirm receipt of their ballot papers through State tracking websiteWe urge them to contact the Boston Election Department immediately.
A replacement ballot will be mailed to affected voters and they can either cast it or vote in person until 8 PM Election Day, which is November 3. Any affected voters who do not file a new ballot will be counted manually even to the maximum extent possible, according to Galvin’s office.
“I sent an urgent directive (Sunday afternoon) to secure the ballot boxes,” Galvin said. “If possible, get them inside the municipal facilities. If necessary, since we go downhill in this election and they need police officers there, that’s what they have to do. We’ll deal with compensation issues later.”
Boston Police say Armand is expected to appear in Boston Municipal Court.
According to the criminal clerk at Malden County Courthouse, Armand was arrested on October 11 and charged in connection with a fire that was kindled outside the Town Line Inn Motel. The case is still open and he is due to return to court on December 3.
