HOT SPRINGS -- A homeless man and a 14-year-old boy were arrested Monday night on arson charges in connection with a fire that destroyed a large hay barn on Broadway and two other fires.
Lane Anthony Brown, 21, who lists no permanent address, and the teen were arrested on a felony charge of arson, punishable by up to life in prison, and misdemeanor counts of arson and unlawful burning, each punishable by up to one year in jail. Brown also was charged with a misdemeanor count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
Brown remained in custody without bond Tuesday and is scheduled to appear today in Garland County District Court. The teen was booked into the county juvenile detention center without bond.
The felony arson charges stem from a fire that destroyed a storage barn at 439 Broadway belonging to Williams Brothers Feed Store, which contained 4,000 bales of hay as well as trucks, trailers and forklifts. Total damages are estimated between $350,000 and $400,000, owner Patti Nickles told Hot Springs police.
"It was a total loss," Nickles said. "The equipment was wiped out."
Williams Brothers is the primary supplier for Oaklawn Racing and Gaming, but Nickles said replacement hay is en route.
"We'll be able to take care of everybody by Friday," Nickles said.
Hot Springs Fire Chief Ed Davis said the Fire Department received a 911 call about the fire at 6:24 p.m. Monday and arrived to find the interior of the barn "fully involved." Firefighters had the fire under control quickly, but it took several hours to extinguish the fire.
According to the affidavit for Brown, police and Hot Springs firefighters responded shortly after 5:30 p.m. Monday to 156 Ramble St. to a report of a fire and found several garbage bags full of leaves burning at the edge of the yard. The fire was extinguished, and a witness reported seeing two white males near the bags just prior to discovering the fire.
Less than an hour later, after police and firefighters responded to the barn fire, officers at the scene were approached by a witness who reported seeing a boy and a young man, both white, near the barn just before the fire. He said he watched the boy go into an opening in the barn and then come out less than a minute later.
The witness said both males walked away just before he saw smoke and flames coming from the barn.
Patrol officers located Brown and the teen in the 400 block of Broadway and detained them. The boy's mother was contacted and responded to the scene. The boy and Brown both agreed to come in for questioning.
While firefighters were battling the blaze at the barn, another firetruck responded to a report of a trash can on fire at Transportation Depot, located down the street at 100 Broadway Terrace. Firefighters extinguished the fire quickly.
According to the affidavit, Brown told detective Jerry Cantrell that he and the boy were at the barn when he told the boy to go into an open bay door to "check if anything was stolen." He said he gave the boy his hoodie, which had a lighter in the pocket, before the boy went inside.
When the boy came out, they began walking away, and Brown told police he saw flames coming out of the building. He then admitted he set the fire in the trash can at Transportation Depot, the affidavit said.
The 14-year-old was interviewed and told police that Brown gave him the lighter and told him to go inside the barn and start a fire. He also admitted he and Brown started the trash can fire at Transportation Depot and said that Brown started the fire on Ramble Street, according to the affidavit.
Metro on 11/29/2017