4 Juveniles Charged with Crime of Arson

MEDIA CONTACT: Mark E. Brady, Chief Spokesperson, 240-508-7930
mebrady@co.pg.md.us     @PGFDPIO

Personnel from the Prince George's County Fire/EMS Department Office of the Fire Marshal have charged 4 individuals with setting fire to a temporary classroom in Laurel, Maryland.

At about 6:10 pm, Monday, June 30, 2014, firefighters responded to a report of a temporary classroom on fire in the 13000 block of Laurel Bowie Road in Laurel, Maryland. Fire/EMS units arrived to find a fire in a classroom trailer at Deerfield Run Elementary School. The fire was extinguished shortly after firefighters arrived on the scene.

Fire Investigators examined the scene and determined the cause of the fire to be incendiary.

On August 15, 2014, personnel from the Office of the Fire Marshal charged (3)13 year old juvenile males and (1) 15 year old juvenile male with 1st Degree Arson, 2nd Degree Arson, 1st Degree Malicious Burning, and 2nd Degree Malicious Burning among other charges that stemmed from the incident.

If found guilty, the charges listed above carry maximum penalties that could potentially keep these individuals in a juvenile facility until their 21st birthday.


In general, this calendar year’s arson crimes have displayed an overall decrease of approximately 8% compared to the same time frame of calendar year 2013 (January-July).  Additionally, case closure rates are well above National levels (15% National average closure rate versus 24%) for the same time period.  Arson arrests are up approximately 50% compared to last calendar year (January-July).

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