Cedar boy, 10, faces arson charges

A 10-year-old Cedar City boy is facing felony arson charges after being arrested in connection with a pair of suspicious fires.

Police said the boy confessed to setting a pair of cars on fire outside an apartment complex.

"He's a troubled child," Cedar City Police Sgt. Jerry Womack said Monday.

Investigators said a boy called 911 at about midnight on April 22 to report a Volkswagen Jetta on fire outside an apartment complex at 111 S. 1400 West. A patrol officer responded and put out the fire with an extinguisher. The car had been left unlocked, and the fire was started on the floorboards, Womack said.

Four hours later, police and firefighters were back at the apartment complex on another fire.

This time, a tow truck's interior was charred. Investigators said the fire appeared to have started on one of the seats of the truck, which had also been left unlocked. Cedar City firefighters estimate damage at more than $2,500.

Later that morning, detectives began investigating the arsons and questioned the 10-year-old who called 911 to report the first fire.

Under questioning, police said the boy's answers seemed inconsistent. Womack said the boy admitted to setting the fires with a cigarette lighter he had taken from his mother while up watching TV in the middle of the night.

"He just admitted that he started the fires," Womack said, "to get some attention."

The boy was cited with two counts of arson, a third-degree felony, and released to his mother. Womack said the Cedar City Juvenile Detention facility cannot take a child under 12, so he could not be booked.

Cedar City Fire Chief Paul Irons said each year his department responds to fires started by kids around 10 years old. He said that age group has a "fantasy" with fire but does not realize that fire gets out of control and can damage homes or kill people.

"That seems to be the age group that likes to play with fire," he said. "They're not old enough to understand what they're doing, but they're old enough to be accountable for it."

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E-mail: bwinslow@desnews.com