History of complaints against arson suspect
Democrats repeatedly sounded the alarm to authorities about Matthew Egler’s behavior long before the former party volunteer from Peoria was arrested in connection with an arson fire at the Arizona Democratic Party headquarters.
Their encounters with Egler, 29, over the years left them worried for their safety, a concern that persisted from at least 2016 until it escalated to the July 24 fire, which destroyed the party’s building at Central Avenue and Thomas Road and nearly everything inside of it.
Phoenix police arrested Egler Wednesday, but have not provided details of his motive or said if anyone else was involved.
Public records and Egler’s own social media accounts provide insight to his rocky relationship with the party, where he served a stint as a precinct committeeman starting in 2016.
On Twitter, he was also intensely focused on President Donald Trump’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, and claimed to have an intimate relationship with her. The Secret Service would not confirm or deny their involvement in the fire investigation, but did say it was “aware of this incident.”
Police records obtained by The Arizona Republic show a family member last year had “expressed concerns” for his mental health during an encounter with law enforcement. Concern over Egler’s mental health was widely shared by Democratic Party officials and volunteers.
At the time of that 2019 contact with police, the family member told law enforcement Egler had been diagnosed with a mental illness years earlier.
Online, Egler seemed to focus attention on the Maricopa County Democratic Party, which shared an office with state Democrats.
The arsonist lit the fire on the northwest side of the party’s building, the portion occupied by county Democratic staffers and volunteers.
The situation between Egler and party officials and activists had deteriorated so badly that by October 2019, Democrats from the West Valley’s Legislative District 22 banned him from their meetings and events, according to a letter Egler posted June 9 on his Twitter account.
The letter was authenticated by a party official.
“Your prior threats to LD22 members and inappropriate conversations with guests at our meetings have precipitated this letter,” it said. “We are also aware of similar behaviors with other entities where you believed you were wronged and lashed out.
“Your threats seem to be a pattern and we take this very seriously,” the letter said. “LD22 is a private democrat club. You will not be allowed to attend any further LD22 Democrat meetings or other LD22 activities. … If you attend LD22 Democrats meeting we will have you removed by the police.”
That letter followed a video he posted on Twitter on Feb. 4, 2019, in which he ranted against Republican Gov. Doug Ducey and Democrats. In that expletive-laced video, Egler said he disliked Maricopa County Democratic Party Chairman Steven Slugocki, whom he accused of owing him millions of dollars.
There were other encounters. Slugocki confirmed to The Arizona Republic that he called police in April 2017 after what he deemed a threat from Egler. Citing the ongoing investigation, Slugocki declined to comment further, saying only that “there were previous incidents” and that Egler “was a known individual to me.”
That same month, Egler wrote on Twitter he had his business “hacked” by the county party “establishment.”
Sgt. Mercedes Fortune, a Phoenix Police Department spokesperson, confirmed to The Republic on Friday that police officers previously had responded to two incidents in 2017 and 2018 involving Slugocki.
“In both incidents reports were authored and based on the information which was provided at the time, no arrest was made,” Fortune wrote in a statement. “Mr. Slugocki was provided resources for obtaining an injunction against harassment.”
In April 2017, Matthew Lewandowski, a former first vice chair of the Legislative District 22 Democrats, sought an injunction against harassment by Egler from Peoria Municipal Court.
Lewandowski cited two encounters with Egler as the basis for the request, which was obtained by The Republic under the public records law and included redactions.
At a March 21, 2017, LD 22 training session, Lewandowski wrote, Egler “stood and in a dramatic fashion announced loudly” that he was angry and was leaving the training. He told Lewandowski, a substitute teacher at the time, that he would “make sure you never talk to my younger brother again.”
Lewandowski cited another encounter three days later, writing that Egler filed a complaint to a school district governing board member involving an “allegation of bodily threat” to Egler’s brother.
The request for the injunction was denied.
“There were efforts made by people bringing the problem to the attention” of authorities, “only to be told it wasn’t enough,” Lewandowski said.
He attended a hearing and brought “people of prominence” to support his position, Lewandowski said. “And it was just fluffed off. I just was a little disturbed by that.”
Dating to 2016 on his Twitter account, Egler repeatedly posted that Slugocki had “screwed over” Egler’s Peoriabased nonprofit, the Valley Leadership Council. The nonprofit is not related to the well-known Valley Leadership civic organization.
Egler did not elaborate on his assertions, but included a 30-minute video that has footage of him talking to Slugocki at a party meeting that year.
In the video, Egler asked Slugocki about the status of some sort of alleged deal where the council was to rent space from the county party. Slugocki appeared to try to put him off. “Sorry that kind of fell apart,” Slugocki says.
Years later, in June 2019, Egler was arrested in his home, which he shared with his parents and younger brother. He allegedly had destroyed two flat screen televisions and a lamp during an argument with his father.
At the time, he was wearing a baseball cap lined with tin foil, according to a police report. A family member told police Egler had “acted out” against his father two times in previous months.
Other police records show Egler was accused in 2017 of committing sexual assault nine years earlier. A woman told police she wanted to report the assault because Egler had recently made new contact with her on Facebook. But investigators closed the case after being unable to reach the woman for followup. Egler was not arrested or charged, and there is no indication police ever contacted him about the allegation.
Egler appeared Wednesday before a Maricopa County commissioner for his initial appearance. He is being held on $75,000 bail; his arraignment is scheduled for Aug. 4 — election day — according to the Sheriff ’s Office.
Find Yvonne Wingett Sanchez on Twitter and Facebook or contact her at yvonne.wingett@arizonarepublic.com and 602-444-4712.Contact Sasha Hupka at Alexandra.Hupka@gannett.com or on Twitter: @SashaHupka. Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcen tral.com today.
Subscribe for free to The Gaggle political podcast on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, or wherever you listen to audio content.