Gateway — A Gateway man was arrested Tuesday in connection with a Julyfire at Gateway Apartments.
Deputies with the Benton County Sheriff’s Departmentarrested Jakie Lee Rhodes, 37, of 21741 U.S. Hwy. 62 in Gateway on Jan. 17 in connection with arson.
The arrest stemmed from an early morning July 12 fire at the apartments where a1984 Chevrolet conversion van burned in the parking lot. The van and its contents were valued at $1,200.
Deputies were called to canvass the area and talk to residents the night of the fire.
“There were witnesses who saw Jakie (Rhodes) running from the scene,” said BCSO investigator Wes Bryant.
Rhodes later told someone he set the fire, Bryant said. That report re-opened the investigation.
The Northeast Benton County Fire Departmentdid not initiate an arson investigation at the time, said Chief Rob Taylor, who deferred questions regarding the fire’s origin to law enforcement. Had there been a fuel can nearby or someone acting suspicious at the scene they may have attributed the fire to suspicious circumstances, but firefighters did not notice anything out of the ordinary that night, Taylor said.
Pieces of the van have been sent to the state crime lab, Bryant said.
No other charges are anticipated.
Community, Pages 6 on 01/25/2012