Officials surprised by juvenile arson
Feb 28, 2006 06:07 PM EST
OKLAHOMA CITY -- There is major concern for the dry, Oklahoma land. It's another warm and windy day in our state and it’s the perfect recipe for more wildfires. Oklahoma is still under a burn ban, yet fire investigators are seeing an increase in arson. Specifically, grass fires set by juvenile offenders.
Officials are surprised at this unruly behavior. The latest case of suspected arson happened early Monday morning on the 6500 block of North May.
Someone broke into a back window of the Hollywood Video, stealing nothing, but doing about $2500 of damage.
"We have determined that the fire was intentionally set," says Oklahoma City Fire Battalion Chief Homer Jones.
He says the number of incidents for this type of arson hasn't increased, but grass fires intentionally set is on the rise. Especially those set by juveniles.
"Some of them, they see it as a prank. They see it on the news that there's a burn ban. They see how many fires there are and some of them just want the attention," Chief Jones says.
In all of 2005, the Oklahoma City Fire Department responded to 940 grass fires. In just two months of this year, they've already responded to 377 grass fires.
"What they are, are acts of stupidity," says Oklahoma County District Attorney Wes Lane
.
WOULD THAT BE CLOSE TO A BAD CASE OF STUPID
He explains that he has filed several burn ban violation cases, but not specifically arson, because the intent has to be proven malicious.
And arson charges could soon become more frequent.
"There will come a time in which we will decide that we can establish this; that the public knows better and it's time to hold this person, prospectively a lot more, accountable than we would otherwise," Wes
Lane says.
YES THERE WILL BE TIME TO HOLD SOME ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR ACTIONS
Residents can help the DA and fire officials crack down on suspected arson by reporting any incidents to your local law enforcement.
YES THEY COULD HELP IF THEY WERE NOT AFRAID OF DRIVE BY SHOOTINGS TO COME OUT OF THEIR HOME SOME DON'T EVEN HAVE TO BE OUT SIDE
HEARING SHOOTS FIRED
_________________
THIS IS WHAT THEY WOULD LEAD YOU TO BELIEVE
BRING JUSTICE BACK TO OKLAHOMA
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