By Stan Maddux
The South Bend Tribune
STILLWELL, Ind. — A 17-year-old junior firefighter allegedly has set at least two arson fires in the Stillwell area, according to LaPorte County police.
County police on Monday disclosed the arrest Friday of the boy on two counts of Class B felony arson.
Specifically, the LaPorte High School student is charged with setting fire to a detached garage Aug. 14 at 115 Glendale and a vacant residence at 302 W. Oak St. in October 2009.
Both structures in Stillwell were heavily damaged.
LaPorte County Police Chief of Detectives John Boyd said there were five other pole barn and grass fires of suspicious origin since last October, all in the Stillwell area.
Additional charges could be forthcoming, depending on the results of the ongoing investigation, Boyd said.
For the past 18 months, the boy has been a junior firefighter with the Pleasant Township Volunteer Fire Department.
Pleasant Township Fire Chief Phillip Bluhm said the boy’s arrest took him by surprise.
Bluhm said the boy was a help around the department and took part in firefighter practices and training sessions on a regular basis.
Nationwide, Bluhm said junior firefighters beginning as early as 14 undergo the necessary training to qualify as a volunteer or full-time firefighter as adults.
Junior firefighters can help around the department by carrying hoses and doing other manual labor, but they cannot actually fight fires.
His arrest resulted from an investigation by a task force consisting of members from the LaPorte County Sheriff’s Office along with experts from agencies like Indiana State Police and Michigan City Fire Department.
The group was formed less than a month ago in response to what appeared to be an unusually high number of suspicious fires in the Stillwell area.
Boyd said he could not disclose the materials used to set the blazes or any specific evidence that pointed to the boy as a suspect due to the ongoing investigation.
He also said a motive was not clear.
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