Snow helps police track, arrest arson suspects
Uniontown City police got an assist from the recent snowstorm in making an arson arrest Wednesday. Police arrested Joseph M. Parker, 19, of 211 N. Gallatin Ave. and charged him with two counts each of arson, criminal trespass and criminal conspiracy for allegedly setting fires at two vacant Maple Street houses this week.
Police said Parker, along with a 14-year-old juvenile, allegedly set a fire at 23 Maple St. at 10:50 p.m. Tuesday and another one at Rear 24 Maple St. at 3:29 a.m. Wednesday.
According to police, City Detective Phillip W. Jones tracked Parker and an unnamed juvenile through the snow after he found out that the fires were arson.
Jones said, “We followed a series of large and small tennis shoe tread footprints in and out of the homes that led us to Parker’s house at 211 N. Gallatin Ave. The large footprints had two distinct horizontal lines and small circles while the smaller footprints had multiple horizontal lines on the entire tread.”
Jones said when police got to Parker’s home, about four city blocks from the fires, they found a pair of large Nike Cross Trainer tennis shoes lying next to the door with the same pattern as the footprints found at the fire scenes. He also said the shoes were dripping wet.
“Parker smelled heavily of smoke and was only wearing boxer shorts,” said Jones. “He told us that he was home all night but someone in the house said he only came home about 45 minutes earlier.”
Jones said Parker was taken to the police station for questioning and admitted to being at both fires but denied starting them.
Jones said several witnesses interviewed by police said Parker and the juvenile admitted to having started the fires.
Jones said the 14-year-old was charged as a juvenile and was expected to turn himself into juvenile authorities Wednesday.
After his arraignment, Parker was transported to the Fayette County Prison in lieu of $50,000 straight bond for each criminal complaint. Jones said Parker would have to come up with $300,000 to get out of jail unless the court reduced his bond.
According to Uniontown Fire Department Capt. Harold Bell, firefighter Mark Lovey injured his hand at the second fire while hooking a hose to a fire hydrant.
Lovey, a long-time firefighter, was treated at the Uniontown Hospital. Bell said no one else was injured.
Bell said the first fire didn’t take firefighters very long to extinguish because it wasn’t that bad, but the second fire was ablaze by the time firefighters arrived.
“We didn’t have much trouble with the two-story brick house at 23 Maple St. because it was a small fire that started in the living room,” said Bell. “The second fire, however, was a different story because it was fully engulfed when we arrived.”
Bell said firefighters stayed on the scene for a little over two hours. He also said that he couldn’t tell where the fire began.
Jones said William Large, state police fire marshal, discovered two points or origin in the upstairs bedrooms at 23 Maple St. He also said that the second fire at 24 Rear Maple St. had multiple points of origin on the second floor.
Jones said Donna Dolfi of N. Gallatin Avenue owns 24 Rear Maple St. while Flynn and Jackson Inc. of Arizona own 23 Maple St.
Parker faces a preliminary hearing before Blair at a later date.