13 Arson Cases in Iowa... Perpetrator is a 60-Year-Old Firefighter
He Set Fires Himself and Also Participated in Extinguishing Efforts
A suspect in a series of arson cases has been arrested in Iowa, USA. The individual, who set fires 13 times, was an active firefighter in the jurisdiction.
On the 1st (local time), the Grundy County Sheriff's Office in Iowa reported that the police began investigating suspicious fires that occurred in the area last April.
According to the police, most of the fires started near drainage ditches, and some spread to nearby cornfields. There were also consecutive incidents of fires in abandoned buildings. The police focused on the possibility of arson and conducted an investigation. As a result, on the 28th of last month, Kendle Eugene Rhodes (60), an active firefighter at the local fire station, was arrested on 13 counts of second-degree arson and one count of reckless use of fire or explosives.
Rhodes had worked at this fire station for the past six years. It was even found that after committing arson, he returned to the fire station and participated in firefighting operations with the fire brigade at the scene.
The sheriff's office stated that Rhodes is currently held at the Grundy County Jail without bail. His motive for the crimes has not yet been disclosed.
The police appealed to residents, saying, "Without the help of tips from residents, we would not have been able to solve this case," and added, "The investigation is still ongoing, so please contact us if you have any related information."
There have been previous cases in the United States where firefighters were arrested as arson suspects. In 2006, in Tiptonville, Tennessee, the town's fire chief and three volunteer firefighters, including his grandson, were arrested on charges of setting multiple fires in the town.
According to the police, Fire Chief James Blackburn was accused of deliberately setting 10 fires since 2004, and his grandsons were accused of systematically committing 2 to 4 arson cases each. Their specific motives for the arson have not been revealed.
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