A 43-year-old Little Rock woman has been arrested in a series of arsons at a Little Rock apartment complex, including one that displaced more than 100 people and caused several million dollars in damage.
U.S. Attorney Christopher Thyer said Monday that Lacey Moore was arrested after being indicted on five federal counts of arson, two counts of arson resulting in injury and one count of possession of an unregistered destructive device.
The fires occurred between February and June 2013 at the Forest Place Apartment complex in Little Rock. No residents were injured in the blazes, but two firefighters who responded were hurt.
On May 16, a fire at Forest Place caused an estimated $4 million in damage, displacing 130 residents. A June 28 fire forced dozens to evacuate and resulted in 11 residents being permanently displaced, authorities said.
Moore, who faces up to 20 years in prison on each arson charge, made an initial appearance in U.S. District Court Monday, during which an innocent plea was entered. Another hearing is set for Wednesday. She is being held without bail at the Pulaski County jail pending that appearance.
The statement from Thyer did not indicate a motive for the arsons or whether Moore was a resident at the complex. But social media postings made under her name on the Forbidden Hillcrest Facebook page at the time of the fires indicated she was a resident and had joined a lawsuit against the complex over the fires.
Thyer credited multiple agencies for the arrest, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, Little Rock Fire Department Fire Marshal’s Office, Arkansas State Police Fire Marshal’s Office and Little Rock Police Department.
“Through their diligence and expertise the mystery that caused millions of dollars’ worth of damage, destroyed apartment buildings, displaced scores of residents and injured two firefighters, has been solved,” Thyer said in a statement.
Read Tuesday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for more details.
