Georgia poll worker arrested, accused of sending bomb threat to polling place to frame voter

Julia Gomez, USA TODAY
Updated ·3 min read
53

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

Nicholas Wimbish, 25, a poll worker from Milledgeville, Georgia, was arrested on Monday Nov. 4 and was charged with mailing a bomb threat, conveying false information about a bomb threat, mailing a threatening letter and making false statements to the FBI, according to a press release FBI Atlanta Public Affairs emailed USA TODAY.

Wimbish worked at the Jones County Elections Office in Gray, Georgia, around 88 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.

ADVERTISEMENT

Wimbish is set to make his initial appearance in court on Tuesday Nov. 5.

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

Election 2024 live updates: Trump, Harris in historic battle on Election Day

Georgia Election Results 2024: Live updates, maps for every state race

What happened?

The Jones County Elections Office received a threatening letter, which was typed, on Oct. 22, 2024, via USPS, according to court documents acquired by the USA TODAY. It was addressed by hand to the Elections Superintendent.

The return address stated a “Jones County Voter” sent the letter, which was postmarked in Atlanta,Georgia, on Oct. 18.

Wimbish is believed to have written the letter the day after he allegedly got into a verbal altercation with a voter, who was not identified, after they complained that Wimbish and another poll worker were distracting voters waiting in line for early voting with their conversation.

ADVERTISEMENT

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

"Based on my investigation, I believe that Wimbish conducted the Google search on his own name to confirm what information was available about him and other poll workers online," James Maxwell, a special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, wrote in the criminal complaint filed against Wimbish. "I believe that Wimbish wrote the letter pretending to be [the voter,] because the letter references Wimbish and [the other poll worker] 'distracting voters,' the same complaint that [the voter] voiced the day before the letter was dated."

The day after the letter was received, Wimbish told the FBI the disgruntled voter he had an altercation with wrote and mailed the letter.

On Monday, the same day as the arrest, the FBI searched through Wimbish's personal computer and found a document that referenced a “BOOM TOY” that was dated Oct. 18, according to court documents. They also found the letter in the computer's print spooler.

“PS boom toy in early vote place, cigar burning, be safe,” stated a handwritten note included with the letter.
“PS boom toy in early vote place, cigar burning, be safe,” stated a handwritten note included with the letter.

Election 2024: Man faces felony charges after punching Illinois poll worker in face, police say

What did the letter say?

The letter referred to Wimbish as a "young liberal woke idiot," and accused him of trying to "influence peoples votes in line."

ADVERTISEMENT

The letter stated that the sender was "on the hunt" for the poll worker Wimbish was talking to at the time of the incident. It mentioned two other female poll workers as well and accused one of "f-cking up my ballot."

"Your woke liberal should look over their shoulder I have to do whatever it takes for [unspecified candidate] to win Georgia," the letter stated.

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

“PS boom toy in early vote place, cigar burning, be safe,” was on a hand-written note included with the letter.

A "boom toy," could refer to an explosive device, while a “cigar burning” might refer a delayed fuse ignitor, according to Maxwell.

This story has been updated to clarify when the poll worker was arrested.

Julia is a trending reporter for USA TODAY. You can connect with her on LinkedIn, follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, Instagram and TikTok: @juliamariegz, or email her at jgomez@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Georgia poll worker Nicholas Wimbish charged over alleged bomb threat