A reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the arsonist who set two Vancouver ballot boxes on fire is now $30,000, thanks to a $5,000 boost from the Arson Alarm Foundation, a fire damage restoration service in Renton. The FBI set a reward of $25,000 in November.
The ballot drop box at C-Tran’s Fisher’s Landing Transit Center was set on fire by an incendiary device in the early hours of Oct. 28, not long after Portland police were called to a ballot box fire on Southeast Morrison Street, on the same block as the Multnomah County, Ore., elections department building. A suspicious device was also found near a ballot drop box Oct. 8 in downtown Vancouver.
Authorities believe all three incidents are connected.
Portland officials released a photo of the early 2000s-model Volvo S60 sedan connected to the fires, along with a description of the arsonist: a 30- to 40-year-old white man with very short or no hair and a thin face, with a medium or thin build. The Volvo logo is missing from the front grill.
To report a tip, contact the FBI’s tipline at 1-800-225-5324, the Portland FBI office at 503-224-4181 or the Seattle FBI office at 206-622-0460. Anyone with information about the ballot box arsonist or any arson incident in Washington can also call the Arson Alarm Hotline at 1-800-552-7766 or submit a tip at www.arsonalarm.com.
