Latest Arson Headlines
All the headlines from our Arson Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Arson Suspected in California School Fire With $1M in Damage
Feb 18 2015 // Authorities say they suspect an arsonist set a Northern California middle school’s cafeteria on fire. KCBS-Radio reported that Oakland fire fighters found an opened door when they arrived to put out the early morning...
Texas Yogurt Company Founder Gets 5 Years in Prison for Arson
Jan 29 2015 // The founder of a popular yogurt company is in prison after admitting he set the business ablaze in a fit of anger over investors’ handling of the company. The Dallas Morning News reports a judge has sentenced...
Arson Trial Begins over 2008 Fire at Nebraska Plant
Jan 22 2015 // A federal trial has begun for an Omaha, Neb., businessman accused of paying someone more than six years ago to set fire to his manufacturing plant in eastern Nebraska. A prosecutor said in his opening statement on Jan. 20...
Illinois Landlord Gets Life in Deadly Arson-for-Insurance Case
Dec 18 2014 // A Cicero, Ill., landlord has been sentenced to life in prison for the deaths of seven people during a Valentine’s Day 2010 apartment fire that prosecutors say was set for insurance money. Cook County prosecutors say...
Investigators Eye Arson In Large Los Angeles Apartment Blaze
Dec 10 2014 // Federal and local investigators are trying to determine whether an arsonist set a fire that turned an unfinished downtown Los Angeles apartment complex into a block of flames so hot that freeway signs melted and windows...
Illinois Judge Denies Lower Bond in Rock Island Arson Case
Nov 20 2014 // A Rock Island County judge has denied a lower bond for a man accused of setting a fire that destroyed or damaged a handful of buildings in downtown Rock Island, Ill., in September. Jason Earl Anderson, 34, is charged with...
Illinois Landlord Faces Life Sentence in Alleged Arson-for-Insurance Deaths
Nov 19 2014 // A suburban Chicago, Ill., landlord was found guilty in the deaths of seven people for a Valentine’s Day 2010 apartment building fire that prosecutors said was set for insurance money. Lawrence Myers, 64, was found...
Arson Suspected in Dubuque, Iowa, Vehicle Fires
Oct 27 2014 // Dubuque, Iowa, police and fire department officials say they are investigating two vehicle fires as arson. The Dubuque Telegraph Herald reportsthat the fires were reported before dawn on Oct. 23 in a parking lot. Dubuque...
Fire at Arkansas County Courthouse Annex Deemed Arson
Oct 10 2014 // A fire last month at a building that housed the offices of the Arkansas County sheriff and county judge was deliberately set, federal investigators said. No injuries were reported in the early morning fire at the...
Colorado Mother And Son Convicted Of Arson Insurance Scam
Oct 1 2014 // A Fort Collins, Colo. mother and son have been sentenced to prison for setting their home on fire with hopes of collecting an insurance payout. The Coloradoan reported that 53-year-old Kellie Lawson-Welborne and...
Oklahoma Volunteer Firefighter Charged with Arson
Sep 24 2014 // The Craig County Sheriff’s Office says a volunteer firefighter faces arson charges following a series of hay and structure fires. Jesse Bennett, 19, was arrested in connection to eight fires that occurred in August...
Missouri Volunteer Firefighter Gets 20 Years for Arson
Aug 25 2014 // A volunteer firefighter from eastern Missouri has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for setting several fires last year. Police say Dustin Matthew Grigsby was sentenced for setting four fires in occupied buildings last...
Louisiana Volunteer Fireman Sentenced to 5 Years for Arson
Aug 22 2014 // The Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry says a former volunteer firefighter from Longville has been sentenced to five years at hard labor for setting wildfires in woods near his home town. Court documents show...
N.Y. Man to Be Freed in Discredited Arson-Science Case
Aug 21 2014 // A New York City man who has spent 24 years in prison for setting a fire that killed his daughter will be released from custody while prosecutors decide whether to retry him. U.S. District Judge William Nealon on Tuesday...
Ohio Woman Convicted in Arson-for-Insurance Case
Aug 19 2014 // A Youngstown, Ohio, woman has been convicted of setting fire to a rental property in order to collect insurance money, said Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio. Latasha Curtis,...
Wisconsin Man, Insurer Settle Over Wrongful Arson Conviction
Aug 4 2014 // A Friendship, Wis., man who spent almost three years in prison after being wrongfully convicted of arson has reached an undisclosed settlement with his insurance company. Joseph Awe was convicted of burning down a bar he...
Judge: Flawed Science Led to Murder-by-Arson Conviction in Pennsylvania Case
Jun 24 2014 // The arsonist who killed Ji Yun Lee was especially cruel and calculating, dousing her small cabin in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains with more than 60 gallons (230 liters) of gasoline and heating fuel and setting at...
Missouri Man Pleads Guilty to Arson, Insurance Fraud
Jun 16 2014 // A western Missouri man has admitted leading a conspiracy to buy cheap houses and set them on fire to collect nearly $435,000 in insurance benefits. The U.S. Attorney’s office says 27-year-old Joshua Stamps, of...
Minnesota Town Struggles with Arson Problem
Jun 11 2014 // When a 17-year-old boy was arrested in May in a suspected arson fire that scorched 76 forested acres near Cass Lake, Minn., it was just the latest indication the city has a problem with fire-setting. An analysis of arson...
3 More Sentenced in $1M West Virginia Arson, Insurance Fraud
Jun 2 2014 // Three more defendants in a $1 million arson insurance scheme in Logan, West Virginia, have been sentenced to prison. U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin said the three were sentenced to a total of 25 years in prison for their...
