Arlington Police arrest teen in arson

ARLINGTON — Detectives from the Arlington Police Department have arrested a 16-year-old Arlington boy in connection with the arson on the night of Tuesday, Jan. 10, that destroyed a home under construction.

January 11, 2012 3:38 pm
The remains of the Jan. 10 residential fire in the 17900 block of 82nd Drive NE that's suspected to be arson.
The remains of the Jan. 10 residential fire in the 17900 block of 82nd Drive NE that's suspected to be arson.

ARLINGTON — Detectives from the Arlington Police Department have arrested a 16-year-old Arlington boy in connection with the arson on the night of Tuesday, Jan. 10, that destroyed a home under construction.

The teen was arrested without incident at his residence in Arlington., and was booked into the Snohomish County Denny Youth Center on one count of arson in the first degree. Additional charges of attempted arson may be filed at a later date.

The arrest was made possible after a local resident provided information to police on the arson, after receiving a flyer that was distributed by one of five Arlington Police Department volunteers who were out canvassing neighborhoods near the fire.

The volunteers went door to door on the afternoon of Wednesday, Jan. 11, to distribute flyers regarding the fire and ask any residents with information to come forward. The local resident also stated the media coverage of the event convinced them to come forward with the information.

“The Arlington Police Department greatly appreciates the assistance from our police volunteers to get the word out on this fire, which allowed us to solve the case so quickly,” Arlington Police Cmdr. Brian DeWitt said.

“The tip received from the citizen is a testament to the power of police, the media and the public working together to solve crimes,” Arlington Police Detective Sgt. Jonathan Ventura said.

Arlington fire crews were dispatched to the fire at approximately 10 p.m. on Jan. 10 in the 17900 block of 82nd Drive NE.

Additional units from Arlington Rural Fire District 21, Silvana Fire District 19 and the Marysville Fire District also responded to the fire.

According to Arlington Fire Deputy Chief Tom Cooper, fire crews were only able do a defensive attack on the fire due to the heavy fire conditions and large combustible load within the structure.

The fire’s estimated dollar loss is approximately $65,000. The Snohomish County Fire Marshal and Arlington Police are continuing to investigate the cause of the fire.

At this time, arson is suspected as the cause. In addition, investigators discovered two other attempted fires in nearby homes that are also under construction.