Staff Report
The Charleston Daily Mail
KANAWHA, W. Va. — Authorities have arrested the man they believe set the fire that ultimately led to the death of a Davis Creek firefighter.
Detectives with the Kanawha Bureau of Investigation arrested Charles “Darren” Roberts, 37, of Alum Creek Wednesday night on a third degree arson charge, said Lt. Sean Crosier, spokesman for the Kanawha Sheriff’s Office.
If convicted on that charge, he would face one to three years in prison.
The charge comes after the death of 61-year-old Davis Creek-Ruthdale volunteer firefighter Joey King, who was responding to the fire with another firefighter early Sunday morning when he fell from a bridge and died.
Railroad workers reported the fire about 1 a.m. Sunday and gave the location as north of Sproul Road in the Alum Creek area. King and the other firefighter went to the Steven Wayne Smith Memorial Bridge along Corridor G to see if they could spot the fire.
Heavy fog and smoke limited visibility that night. No one saw King fall from the bridge, but his body was found on the steep embankment below.
The fire was found and extinguished. Kanawha Bureau of Investigation detectives worked with investigators from the State Fire Marshal’s office to determine the cause.
“Detectives worked many hours since the incident and developed Roberts as a suspect,” Crosier said in a statement. “Roberts told investigators he used a cardboard box to ignite a tire, which in turn caused the railroad ties to also catch fire.”
As of late Wednesday evening Roberts had not been arraigned in Kanawha Magistrate Court.
Findings will be sent to the county prosecutor’s office to determine if additional charges will be filed.
Copyright 2011 Charleston Newspapers