Georgia poll worker Nicholas Wimbish charged over alleged bomb threat

Nicholas Wimbish allegedly sent a bomb threat to the Jones County Elections Office to entrap a voter with whom he had a verbal altercation.

A poll worker in Georgia is suspected of writing a bomb threat in an attempt to entrap a voter he argued with at the polls, according to court documents.

On October 16, Nicholas Wimbish, 25, a poll worker from Milledgeville, Georgia, was arrested Monday and charged with sending a bomb threat, reporting false information about a bomb threat, sending a threatening letter and making false statements to the FBI . , according to a press release FBI Atlanta Public Affairs emailed to USA TODAY.

Wimbish worked at the Jones County Elections Office in Gray, Georgia, about 90 miles southeast of Atlanta.

The FBI Atlanta Field Office is investigating the incident. If found guilty, he could face up to 25 years in prison.

Wimbish will make his first court appearance on Tuesday, November 5.

USA TODAY reached out to Wimbish’s attorney but has not yet heard back

What happened?

The Jones County Elections Office received a threatening letter via USPS on Oct. 22, 2024, according to court documents obtained by USA TODAY. It was hand-addressed to the Chief Inspector of Elections.

The return address stated that a “Jones County Voter” had sent the letter, postmarked in Atlanta, Georgia, on October 18th.

Wimbish is said to have written the letter the day after he allegedly had a verbal altercation with a voter, who was not identified, after complaining that Wimbish and another poll worker were distracting voters waiting in line to vote early with their conversation.

Wimbish Googled his name the same night as the altercation and later Googled nearby post offices the next day at almost 1 a.m.

“Based on my research, I believe Wimbish conducted the Google search under his own name to confirm what information was available online about him and other pollsters,” James Maxwell, a special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, wrote in the criminal record. complaint filed against Wimbish. “I believe Wimbish wrote the letter while posing as (the voter) because the letter refers to Wimbish and (the other poll worker) ‘distracted voters,’ the same complaint (the voter) made the day before the letter was dated . “

The day after the letter was received, Wimbish told the FBI that the disgruntled voter he was feuding with had written and mailed the letter.

On Monday, the same day as the arrest, the FBI searched Wimbish’s personal computer and found a document referring to a “TREE TOY” dated Oct. 18, according to court documents. They also found the letter in the computer’s print spooler.

What did the letter say?

The letter called Wimbish a “young liberal woke idiot” and accused him of “trying to influence the votes of the people in line.”

The letter stated that the sender was “on the hunt” for the poll worker with whom Wimbish was speaking at the time of the incident. It also listed two other female poll workers and accused one of “ruining my ballot.”

“Your woke liberal needs to look over their shoulder. I need to do whatever it takes for (unspecified candidate) to win Georgia,” the letter said.

The letter was signed by a “Jones County voter,” court documents state.

“PS tree toys in early mood, light cigars, be safe,” read a handwritten note attached to the letter.

According to Maxwell, a “tree toy” could refer to an explosive device, while a “cigar burning” could refer to a delayed detonator.

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