Man finds ballots, other mail tossed into trash cans in Santa Monica
There is a mystery brewing in Santa Monica after a man found dozens of mail-in ballots and other important mail tossed into two trash cans.
SANTA MONICA, Calif. (KABC) -- There is a mystery brewing in Santa Monica after a man found dozens of mail-in ballots and other important mail tossed into two trash cans.
Osvaldo Jimenez made the first shocking find Thursday in an alley off of Virginia Avenue near 21st Street.
"I opened the trash can, and I see a lot of envelopes and ballots, especially ballot envelopes in the trash can, and I knew right away that was not normal," said Jimenez.
He found several dozen ballots, bank statements and bills all addressed to homes in the neighborhood, all of it tossed out in the trash.
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"I thought it was somebody playing a prank," he said. "Nobody's going to throw ballot envelopes in the trash can."
He collected all of the mail and called the police.
It's unclear how the ballots and all the other pieces of mail ended up in the trash can and that's what has Jimenez so concerned.
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Jimenez later found a second trash can with ballots and unopened mail.
In September, a contract truck driver for the U.S. Postal Service was seen throwing out bags of mail in Glendale.
And a New Jersey postal worker has been arrested for throwing out hundreds of pieces of mail, including dozens of ballots.
"If it was my ballot in there I would want somebody to recover it," Jimenez said. "Every vote counts, whichever party it is."
Santa Monica police and the Postal Service are both aware of the situation.
