Police: 13-year-old arrested in connection with series of fires | Crime

The Sumter Police Department arrested a teen in connection with a series of recent fires that occurred in the Sampson and Walker Street area this past weekend. 

Detectives have detained a 13-year-old boy for setting fires that damaged two residences on Sampson Street  Friday evening, and a vacant residence on Walker Street on Saturday night, the report stated.

The report said on Friday, January 18, at approximately 7:00 p.m. the Sumter Fire Department responded to a fire at a residence located at 27 Sampson Street. 

Occupants of the residence reported that someone had broken a window at the front of the residence and set the curtains inside the window on fire.  The fire caused an estimated $130.00 in damage to the residence.

The report said a few hours later the fire department was again summoned to a residence at 19 Sampson Street where a couch on the front porch of the residence was set ablaze causing an estimated $800.00 in damage to the residence.

Both homes were occupied at the time each fire was set.

On Saturday, January 19, at approximately 8:00 p.m. a officer patrolling the area noticed smoke coming from a vacant residence located at 19 Walker Street, the report stated. The fire department responded and extinguished the fire at the residence.  The residence had previously been damaged by fire and had recently been purchased by the City of Sumter.

According to detectives, the juvenile had been a person of interest early in the investigation into the fires, and as the investigation progressed, evidence emerged linking the juvenile to the fires.

The investigation is on-going and detectives are unable to release evidentiary details that may impede their investigation.

The juvenile (who lives in the area of the fires) was taken into custody Thursday evening and has been charged with three counts of arson 3rd degree and one count of burglary 1st degree. 

The juvenile is currently being detained at the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice Detention Center in Columbia.