Arson suspect faces up to 20 years after Tesla and Republican Party headquarters incidents
The Department of Justice has charged Jamison Wagner with arson attacks on the Tesla showroom and the Republican Party of New Mexico's headquarters. The arson fire at the headquarters burned the entrance and left the items inside damaged by smoke inhalation.
By Alyssa Munoz
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ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico (KOAT) — The Department of Justice has charged Jamison Wagner with arson attacks on the Tesla showroom and the Republican Party of New Mexico’s headquarters.
“We were very pleasantly surprised that this did happen so quick. Two weeks that has gone by has had us worried and concerned,” said Leticia Munoz, the executive director for RPNM.s
The arson fire at the headquarters burned the entrance and left the items inside damaged by smoke inhalation.
“This was well thought out, planned. All the evidence that has been provided shows that he has a history and knowledge in how to make these types of handmade bombs,” Munoz said. “So, the surprise of him, of knowing that he was also arrested for the Tesla, is really no surprise because of everything that had been going on here in Albuquerque, in New Mexico and really around the country, surrounded around Tesla.”
John Day, KOAT’s legal expert, said with all the evidence, it’s a solid case.
“What the investigators showed was that they had a lot of videos. They basically tracked the suspect through the use of surveillance video, both at the Tesla dealership on the Santa Pueblo and at the Republican Party headquarters,” Day said.
Day said the charges won’t change even though one of the incidents happened on tribal land.
Wagner has been federally charged with two counts of arson, looking at five to twenty years per charge. He is expected to have a detention hearing in a few days.
“I think it’s very likely that a federal magistrate will order that this defendant, this suspect, be kept in custody given the nature of the charges and the nature of the way that the investigation unfolded,” Day said.
The Democratic Party of New Mexico sent a statement saying:
“The Democratic Party of New Mexico is grateful to law enforcement for arresting and charging a suspect for the recent arson and vandalism at the Tesla showroom in Bernalillo and the Republican Party of New Mexico office. Should this individual be found guilty, we hope the U.S. Department of Justice holds them accountable. Politically motivated violence and vandalism are never acceptable.”
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