Duluth police arrested a 17-year-old boy today in connection with a garage fire set earlier in the day, and they believe he may be responsible for the string of arsons that have plagued the East Hillside neighborhood for the past three months.
Cody Lee Walker, who lives in the neighborhood, was taken into custody at 5 p.m. by Duluth police. He faces charges of first degree arson and first degree burglary, both felonies. Authorities believe he acted alone.
The proximity of the fires to Walker's residence and the similar patterns used to ignite the fires are two reasons why authorities believe he could be responsible for the string of fires, said Sgt. Leigh Wright during a news conference tonight.
Walker had been questioned by authorities two previous times about the fires.
"This individual has been questioned [before]," Wright said. "He is still denying his involvement. ... We are still looking at other evidence for additional fires that occurred in this particular area."
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About 1:15 a.m. today, police and fire responded to a garage fire at 1720 E. Fifth St. Officers woke up two residents and escorted them out of the adjacent home.
A witness had seen a white male dressed in black running from the scene. Officer S.R. Peterson and his police dog, Nero, tracked what police labeled as "distinctive footprints'' in the snow to the 1600 block of East Fifth Street, the block Walker lives on. Police then contacted Walker and collected evidence from his home.
Firefighters were able to keep the fire from spreading to the attached house. The fire is believed to have been set using "available materials" inside the garage.
Structural damage was limited to one corner of the garage, and a vehicle inside the garaged suffered heat damage. Early damage estimates are $15,000 to the building and $10,000 for contents.
The fire was the eighth arson or possible arson fire that has occurred since October between 15th and 17th avenues east and between Fourth and Fifth streets. Four vehicles were burned, including one that was hit by a Molotov cocktail. A garbage can also was set ablaze.
On Jan. 2 two garages were burned in the area -- the sixth and seventh fires in the string.
The first garage fire was reported about midnight Jan. 2 and destroyed a $20,000 detached garage at 1619 E. Fifth St. and heavily damaged a 1995 Subaru inside. At 5 a.m. another garage fire was reported at 1625 E. Fourth St. Someone broke into the locked garage by a service door and again used whatever was available to start the fire, which destroyed the detached garage and a 1997 Pontiac Grand Am inside.
The earlier fires targeted parked vehicles. Later fires targeted detached garages. Today's fire was the first involving an attached garage, Wright said.
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"It does appear that they are escalating," she said, although the earlier fires also were serious. "There is a potential for injuries no matter what is set on fire."
