Police in Torrance, Calif. are investigating after 300 ballots for the state’s upcoming recall election, gun, drugs and stolen mail were found in the parked car of man who was sleeping outside a convenience store last week.
Torrance police received a call around 10:45 pm on the night of Aug. 16 about a man sleeping in his car at a 7-Eleven parking lot, according to ABC 7.
Officers conducted a search of the vehicle and “found a loaded handgun, some narcotics, and then they found a bunch of mail and what turned out to be over 300 election ballots in the backseat of the vehicle,” Sgt. Mark Ponegalek with the Torrance Police Department said.
Officers also found multiple California driver’s licenses and credit cards belonging to other people. The man, who is a felon, was taken into custody but was released on his own recognizance.
Police still don’t know how he obtained the ballots and what his intent was, but Sgt Ponegalek said the ballots were “un-tampered with.” The ballots found were primarily from Lawndale, the others were from the Compton area.
The Los Angeles County Registrar’s office said the ballots had been sent out but were not filled out and returned by voters. The county registrar’s office said the theft does not appear to be an attempt to influence the results of the Sept. 14 recall election since other stolen mail was found in the vehicle.
Voters in Lawndale and Compton who haven’t received their ballots are asked to contact the registrar’s office and request a new ballot.
Lawndale and Compton NextDoor communities should post this! Not everyone seeks out the news!