A 35-year-old individual was apprehended by Phoenix police on Thursday morning for allegedly setting fire to a United States Postal Service mailbox in the city. The fire caused damage to several ballots that were placed in the mailbox in anticipation of the November election. 

Dieter Klofkorn was apprehended by the police on an unrelated warrant. According to a press release, he confessed to igniting a fire in a receptacle at the Osborn Post Office, as the Washington Examiner reported.

According to the police, Klofkorn informed them that his actions were not politically motivated and that he intentionally set the fire to be apprehended and detained.

There were widespread previous reports that the suspect in the arson case has a history of being unhoused.

Previous Crimes

According to online court records, Klofkorn has been convicted of a variety of offenses in Maricopa County Superior Court, Phoenix, and Scottsdale municipal courts over the past few years, including theft, trespassing, and indecent exposure.

After several convictions, Klofkorn is said to have been found repeatedly violating the terms of his probation, which could also result in his imprisonment.

“Any attack that strikes at our democratic process carries criminal consequences,” Secretary of State Adrian Fontes said in a written statement. “Ballot abuse is a felony in Arizona, and mailbox vandalism is a federal crime.”

More From Local Authorities

According to a statement from Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer, his office is currently awaiting information from law enforcement regarding the condition of the ballots that were in the mailbox at the time of the fire.

“We encourage all voters who used that mailbox in the last 36 hours to check the status of their ballots at https://BeBallotReady.Vote,” Richer said in the statement.

“Successful delivery is usually reflected on that website within 72 hours. Voters should be aware that tomorrow, October 25 is the last day to request a replacement ballot. If a voter believes they were impacted by this incident they can learn more about how to make that request at https://Request.Maricopa.Vote.”

Current Ballot Situation

The Recorder's Office has stated that ballots that were inside the mailbox and were not destroyed will be handled in a typical manner.

Election officials will get in touch with the voter whose ballot was damaged if they can identify them.

“Thanks to the swift response coordinated between election officials, law enforcement, and the postal service, we were able to recover many undamaged ballots and affected voters will be contacted to make sure they’re able to cast a vote,” Fontes said in a statement.

Fontes further stated that all of the state's ballot drop boxes have security features "to prevent and detect physical attacks."