Latest Arson Headlines
All the headlines from our Arson Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Police Say Maryland Man Charged in Church Arson Case
Jun 29 2020 // A Maryland man faces multiple arson-related charges after police say he confessed to setting fires at a church where investigators found a Molotov cocktail in a vestibule. David Francis Creager, 47, was detained Friday and...
Feds Charge Man with Setting Fires During Raleigh Protests
Jun 24 2020 // Federal authorities say that a North Carolina man is facing charges related to setting fires in two businesses in downtown Raleigh during protests against racism and police brutality. The Raleigh News & Observer...
Texas Man Sentenced to 78 Years in Prison for Arson, Insurance Fraud
Jun 16 2020 // A 52-year-old Groves, Texas, man has been sentenced to 78 years in federal prison for violations related to an arson and insurance fraud scheme, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of...
Police Say Man in New Hampshire Arson Case Paddled Canoe with Items for Fire
Jun 5 2020 // A man has been held without bail on a charge of setting fire to a New Hampshire middle school, and police believe he paddled a canoe from Maine with a propane tank and a bucket of flammable liquid, authorities...
Mississippi Church Suing Over Virus Restrictions Burns Down; Arson Suspected
May 26 2020 // A church in Mississippi was destroyed by a suspected arson fire, about a month after its pastor filed a lawsuit challenging the city of Holly Springs on gathering restrictions amid the coronavirus outbreak. First...
Delaware Teen Charged with Setting Fire at Elementary School
May 19 2020 // Authorities in Delaware have arrested a 14-year-old boy accused of intentionally setting fire to a structure at an elementary school, causing damage estimated at $80,000, according to the State Fire Marshal’s...
Delaware Company Offers Reward for Arrest in Restaurant Fire
May 13 2020 // The owners of a bayside restaurant in Delaware are offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of a suspect responsible for setting fire to the eatery last month, according to the development...
Man Arrested, Charged with Hate Crime in Missouri Islamic Center Arson
May 1 2020 // Prosecutors have charged a 42-year-old man accused of setting fire to a Missouri mosque on April 24 with a hate crime and other counts. Nicholas Proffitt, who spent time in prison for defacing the Islamic Center of Cape...
Washington Dentist Arrested, Charged with Arson After Office Fire
Apr 3 2020 // A Bellevue, Washington, dentist was accused of using lighter fluid and accelerant to set fires in his exam and X-ray rooms after being evicted from his office for failing to pay rent, King County prosecutors said. Mohammad...
Woman Accused of Arson Attempts of Her Arizona Business
Apr 1 2020 // A woman has been arrested in an arson attempt at her Glendale business last month, according to authorities. Police said 44-year-old Claudia Ramirez was taken into custody on suspicion of arson of an occupied structure. A...
Michigan Man Wins Appeal of Arson-for-Insurance Conviction
Mar 11 2020 // The Michigan appeals court has overturned the arson conviction of a man who insists he had no financial incentive to destroy his profitable pawn shop in suburban Detroit. Judge Paul Cusick wouldn’t allow defense...
Wisconsin Bar Owner Found Guilty of Arson, Insurance Fraud
Mar 2 2020 // A bar owner in Waukesha, Wisconsin, has been found guilty of intentionally setting fire to his business, as well as several felony offenses related to the arson. According to U.S. Attorney Matthew D. Krueger with the U.S....
Man Arrested in Series of Burlington Fires Causing About $74K in Damage
Feb 24 2020 // Police in Vermont’s largest city have arrested a man accused of setting a series of fires that caused about $74,000 in damage. Robert Barbin, 57, is facing charges of arson and reckless endangerment. Burlington...
South Carolina Mom Who Arranged Arson Fire That Killed Son Gets 35 Years
Jan 15 2020 // A mother in South Carolina has been sentenced to 35 years in prison for arranging a fire at her mobile home to get insurance money and killing her son, who she did not know was inside. The older brother of the boy is...
South Carolina Mother Accused of Insurance Arson; Fire Killed Son, 12
Jan 10 2020 // A jury has been chosen to hear the case against a South Carolina woman accused of having a vacant trailer home burned for insurance money, not knowing her son had taken shelter there from a storm. The 12-year-old boy...
Retrial Decision Due Next Year in Triple-Fatal 1995 Pittsburgh Arson
Dec 23 2019 // A federal judge is slated to decide next year on a second trial in the case of a man accused of having set a Pittsburgh fire that killed three firefighters almost a quarter of a century ago. Gregory Brown, 42, was...
Ringleader of Family Arson Crew in California Pleads Guilty in $4M Operation
Nov 13 2019 // Tyler Chen, 48, pleaded guilty this week in the Santa Clara County Superior Court in California following his arrest on multiple felony counts of insurance fraud and arson for his role in setting fires in a $4 million...
Court Upholds $2.75M Damage Award Against Businessman in Missouri Arson Lawsuit
Nov 1 2019 // A Missouri appeals court has ruled a Columbia businessman is liable for a $2.75 million civil judgment awarded to a woman whose home was destroyed in an alleged arson. The Missouri Court of Appeals Western District...
Serial Arsonist Arrested in Georgia After Setting Three Fires
Oct 30 2019 // A Georgia man has been arrested and charged with three counts of arson in the first degree, three counts of burglary in the first degree, two counts of criminal trespass, and four counts of aggravated assault, all of which...
Texas Man Convicted of $1.7M Arson, Insurance Fraud Scheme
Oct 23 2019 // A southeast Texas man has been found guilty charges related to an arson and insurance fraud scheme in the Eastern District of Texas, the U.S. Attorney’s Office reported. According to U.S. Attorney Joseph D. Brown, a...
