A firefighter in Arizona is facing charges of arson after allegedly admitting to setting a string of fires across two counties since June 15, the Yavapai County Sheriff’s office has stated.
Karson Nutter, 18, is facing three counts of arson of a structure or property, aggravated criminal damage and five counts of false reporting to law enforcement after allegedly confessing to eight separate instances of arson in Yavapai and Coconino counties, CNN reported.
Karson Nutter, 18, is accused of starting fires in the Ash Fork area as well as others in Coconino County. https://t.co/gjcjroUEP0
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Beginning in June, sheriff’s office deputies from both counties began searching for the individual or individuals responsible for a string of local arson fires. A Mobil gas station in Ash Fork was allegedly targeted twice and two other fires were set at the Yavapai County-owned cemetery, Fox 5 Vegas reported. In Coconino County, Nutter allegedly set fire to two abandoned homes and set two wildfires on Forest Service Road 124, the outlet continued.
Law enforcement officials began to zero-in on Nutter as a possible suspect after he allegedly provided “deceptive and misleading information” about the fires, the outlet stated. After another fire was started Thursday, Nutter was brought in for questioning, during which he allegedly admitted to starting seven of the eight fires in question, according to a press release from the Yavapai County Sheriff. (RELEASE: Police Arrest Mississippi Serial Arsonist Who Allegedly Set Fire To Seven Buildings, Including Two Churches)
During his alleged confession, Nutter cited the various reasons he started the fires, including boredom and retaliation against a former employee. Nutter further claimed to have committed arson because some of the abandoned homes were ugly and he was “chasing a thrill,” the release stated.
Nutter is expected to face additional charges in Coconino County, according to the press release.