COLBERT COUNTY, Ala. — A volunteer firefighter was charged with trying to set a church van on fire in hopes that he would be called to fight the fire.
WAAYtv reported that Michael Anthony Caudill, 26, is charged with second-degree arson and breaking and entering into a vehicle.
The church pastor told authorities they saw a white station wagon pull into the lot on security video, and a man opened the van and leaned inside before leaving, according to the report.
Caudill, a Colbert Heights volunteer firefighter, was arrested Sept. 28 for unpaid traffic tickets. When investigators learned he drove a white station wagon, they questioned him about the van fire.
Police said Caudill admitted trying to burn the van. He said he was bored and made “a stupid mistake,” hoping the fire department would have been called out to fight the fire, according to the report.