An arrest has been made in connection to a burglary at the campaign headquarters of Katie Hobbs, the Democratic nominee for governor of Arizona, Phoenix police said Thursday.
“An arrest has been made regarding a commercial burglary that occurred near Virginia Avenue and Central Avenue on October 25, 2022. More information will be released later today,” the Phoenix Police Department said in a statement.
Hobbs’ campaign confirmed to NBC News that it was made aware of the arrest. The campaign is not providing any details about what it believes was stolen.
A police spokesperson said officers responded to a call about a break-in Tuesday afternoon and determined that items had been taken from the office Monday night. Details about the property that was taken were not immediately available.
Detectives have been reviewing security cameras to “identify and locate the subject involved,” according to police.
Democrats were quick to point the finger at Hobbs’ GOP opponent, Trump-backed Kari Lake, claiming she was directly responsible for the break-in.
“Make no mistake — this is a direct result of Kari Lake and fringe Republicans spreading lies and hate and inciting violence — and it is despicable,” the Arizona Democratic Party said in a statement on Twitter.
Reached for comment Wednesday night, Lake’s campaign shot back at Democrats who said they were responsible for the break-in.
“We definitely don’t know anything about it, so it’s a lot of allegations they’re just throwing around,” said Ross Trumble, a spokesman for the campaign.
The burglary comes amid reports of voter intimidation in Arizona, where Hobbs, as secretary of state, is the top election official. On Monday, her office said it had referred more cases to the state attorney general’s office and the U.S. Justice Department for further investigation.
In a statement Wednesday, Hobbs’ campaign manager tied the reports of alleged voter intimidation to Lake and other election deniers.
“Let’s be clear: for nearly two years Kari Lake and her allies have been spreading dangerous misinformation and inciting threats against anyone they see fit. The threats against Arizonans attempting to exercise their constitutional rights and their attacks on elected officials are the direct result of a concerted campaign of lies and intimidation,” Nicole DeMont said in a statement.
She added that “Hobbs and her staff have faced hundreds of death threats and threats of violence over the course of this campaign.”
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
