By David Hedges, Publisher
thetimesrecord.net
A volunteer firefighter has been arrested for multiple counts of arson and attempted murder after allegedly trying to start fires at three homes that were occupied. Paul Samuel Perkins, 19, of 1595 Ripley Rd. surrendered to authorities Tuesday afternoon at Roane Magistrate Court. He was accompanied by his attorney, George Cosenza of Parkersburg.
Perkins, who joined the Spencer-Roane Volunteer Fire Dept. earlier this year, is charged with three counts of 1st degree arson, one count of 3rd degree arson and three charges of attempted murder.
The charges filed by Chief Deputy Todd Cole of the Roane Sheriff's Dept. involve fires in early October, including one in the Perkins' family's driveway.
They allege Perkins started the fire that destroyed a 2007 GMC pickup truck registered to Consumers Gas Co.
Perkins' father, Dave Perkins, works for the company and had the truck parked at his home for the night.
According to reports at the time, the younger Perkins allegedly smelled smoke around 4:30 a.m. on Oct. 8 and called 911. He battled the truck fire with a garden hose while waiting for other firefighters to arrive.
The younger Perkins also allegedly set fires at homes of two elderly neighbors that were not discovered until later that day.
The fire at the Betty Lane residence at 1597 Ripley Rd., about 150 feet from the Perkins residence, burned some vinyl siding and underpinning.
A fire at the Alice Mace residence at 1557 Ripley Rd. also burned some siding. The 72-year-old Lane and the 76-year-old Mace each live alone and were in their homes when the fires were set.
Damages to each home were estimated at between $1,500 and $2,000. Police said at the time that the fires went out on their own.
Perkins is also believed to have started a fire two days earlier at the mobile home residence of Tim Drennen at 85 Lion Fork.
Drennen was in the home around 10 p.m. Oct. 6 when he noticed the back of the trailer on fire. He went outside and extinguished the fire that damaged some siding and underpinning of the residence.
Drennen told police he smelled gasoline after he doused the fire. He showed police a red gasoline container he found in the bed of his truck beside the trailer.
According to the charges, Perkins bought a container of the same description at the Spencer Walmart and filled it with gasoline at the Spencer Go-Mart about 25 minutes before the fire. Police allegedly obtained a fingerprint from the container that belonged to Perkins and video evidence from security cameras at the stores.
Perkins was arraigned by Magistrate Jason Bennett and released on a $440,000 bond posted by his grandfather.
He remains free on bond while awaiting a preliminary hearing.
thetimesrecord.net
See earlier Hur Herald story ARSONIST ATTEMPTS TO BURN SPENCER AREA HOUSES - Truck Reportedly Damaged During Early Morning Incidents
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