Police say they've identified person who mounted fake camera near Michigan ballot drop box

Plymouth Township police say they've identified the individual who mounted a fake camera near an absentee ballot drop box and the person is cooperating with an ongoing investigation.

The announcement on Thursday came two days after James Knittel, the chief of the police in the township, revealed that his agency was examining whether a fake camera and a lighting system that was set up by a mystery person to flash when someone approached the drop box ahead of the Feb. 27 presidential primary election was an attempt to intimidate voters.

"In collaboration with the state of Michigan investigators and the Michigan Attorney General's office, the Plymouth Township Police Department will complete our investigation and forward the case to our state partners for review and a decision regarding possible charges," the statement from the Plymouth Township police department said on Thursday.

The press release didn't name the individual. But the department thanked "members of the local media for their assistance in helping to identify the subject."

Earlier this week, Knittel said it appeared the person intended for the device to flash when someone walked up to the drop box "as if it was taking a picture."

"We’re looking at this as voter intimidation," Knittel told The Detroit News.

Plymouth Township posted an image Tuesday on Facebook of the person who installed the equipment at the ballot drop box outside Risen Christ Lutheran Church on Ann Arbor Road, which also was an early voting location.

The township had its own cameras monitoring the drop box. Those cameras captured images of the person installing the fake camera in January and the solar-powered lighting device in early February, Knittel said.

cmauger@detroitnews.com