Boston Police on Monday arrested a 39-year-old Boston man and charged him with lighting a fire in a ballot drop box outside of Boston Public Library in Copley Square on Sunday.
Worldly Armand was arraigned in Boston Municipal Court on a charge of willful and malicious burning, according to Suffolk Couty District Attorney Rachael Rollins' office.
Boston Police said in a statement that officers saw a man, whom they later identified as Armand, walking through Copley Square at around 10:50 p.m. Sunday. The officers said he matched the description of the suspect who set the ballot box ablaze, which resulted in the damage of dozens of ballots.
Officials say the fire was a deliberate act. According to police, Armand has an active warrant for his arrest from Ipswich District Court for a charge of receiving stolen property.
Armand's attorney said in court Monday that his client has a history of mental illness and called for a competency evaluation before a plea is entered in the case.
There were 122 ballots in the drop box at the time of the fire, officials said Sunday, and 87 were able to be recovered and processed. The office of Secretary of State William Galvin said voters who used the Copley Square ballot box between the hours of 2:30 p.m. on Saturday and 4 a.m. on Sunday should track their ballots online at www.trackmyballotMA.com. Anyone who cannot confirm the receipt of their ballot should call the Election Department immediately, the office said.
GBH News' Tori Bedford contributed to this report.
