November 23, 2005

WRT juveniles arrested for blaze

       Two White River Township boys, ages 9 and 10, were arrested in connection with a fire at a garage near the townhouses where they live.  The boys, who are not being identified because of their ages, were arrested after the White River Township Fire Department responded to a report of a garage fire about 5 p.m. Friday.  They were arrested on charges of misdemeanor criminal mischief and a charge of arson, which is a Class B felony if filed against an adult.  Johnson County Prosecutor Lance Hamner expects to decide this week if any charges will be filed against the boys.

         The fire happened in the 1500 block of South State Road 135, north of the Royal Oak townhouse project where the boys live, White River Township Fire Marshal Eric Brown said.  When firefighters arrived, the fire had burned itself out, and damage was minimal, he said.  A witness reported two boys used a canister of charcoal lighter fluid and a lighter to set the north exterior wall of the garage on fire, Brown said.  Investigators found a second fire smoldering in a three-story townhouse building under construction, Brown said. That fire also burned itself out before firefighters arrived, he said.  A third house in the area had broken windows, and the boys told investigators they had broken the windows, Brown said.  They were taken to the Johnson County Juvenile Detention Center in Franklin Saturday and released to their parents Tuesday, Hamner said.  (Reprinted with permission from the Daily Journal)

 

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