Teens arrested for suspicious house fires in Lacey

Three teenage boys are under arrest, suspected of setting
arson fires in vacant homes in Lacey, including one
Tuesday morning.

A security guard spotted three boys on bikes at
about 1 a.m. Tuesday in an area where previous fires broke
out near Sleater-Kinney Road and
20th
Avenue Northeast. Then, Thurston County Sheriff’s Lt.
Greg Elwin says a tipster directed deputies to an
apartment complex.

“And sure enough, we were able to find not one,
but two of these suspects inside this apartment,” said
Elwin. “We found some evidence immediately apparent to us
that linked them to the arson investigation.”

A third boy was found nearby hiding in a bush. All
are 16-years-old. Elwin says all three boys have some
history as runaways or being involved in the juvenile
justice system.

Lt. Elwin says a lot of other damage was done in
this latest arson. “Paint spills and glass breakage and
flooding, so what we saw was an escalation in the level of
damage.”

Detectives are now investigating five arson fires
in the last two weeks, including one that destroyed a home
under construction.