A convicted felon has been arrested in connection with starting one of the devastating wildfires that have already destroyed over 700 buildings and displaced at least 67,000 people in Washington State.
Aaron F Farinacci, 37, was arrested and booked on suspicion of arson in connection with the Old Trails Fire, one of three blazes that have already become one of the most destructive in the state’s history.
Farinacci pled guilty to manslaughter in 2012 after he killed his father in a fight in 2010, Fox News reported at the time.
He was initially charged with first-degree murder in the case before having the charge dismissed, KHQ reported.
Spokane County Prosecuting Attorney Preston McCollam mentioned his criminal history and that he’d been asked about ‘arson-related behavior’ in the past.
At around 10am Saturday, a witness said he’d seen a man kneeling near the fire, staring into the trees, before he ‘stood up and looked very nervous’ and then walked away, County Sheriff John Nowels said.
He was initially detained and questioned later that day but was ultimately released.
By Sunday, however, detectives had been able to link him to the fire and, according to Nowels, ‘determined that the origin of the fire was indeed exactly where the witnesses had seen Mr. Farinacci kneeling in the grass.’
Spokane County authorities detained Farinacci with the help of a SWAT team after getting a warrant for his arrest Monday. Police said he had waterproof matches and a butane lighter on him.
He is being held on $1 million bond. It wasn’t immediately clear if he had an attorney who could speak on his behalf.
Multiple wildfires erupted across a dry landscape in Washington state this weekend and continued on Monday as more than thousands remain displaced from the blaze.