Two charged in fire that burned Town Hall

[Ah Pook]

I guess he showed them.

http://www.coloradoconnection.com/news/story.aspx?id=724315#.UK0X85IRCkE

EL PASO COUNTY, COLO. -- El Paso County Sheriff's (http://shr.elpasoco.com/) deputies have charged two men with arson, burglary and conspiracy in connection with a fire that destroyed a town hall (http://www.coloradoconnection.com/news/story.aspx?id=722881) in a small town just west of Manitou Springs.


On Thursday a fire deputies determined was intentionally set burned the Green Mountain Falls (http://www.greenmountainfalls.org/) Town Hall. Deputies worked with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (http://www.atf.gov/) and officers from the Green Mountain Falls Police Department to put together an investigation, which led them to two potential suspects the next day.


Deputies contacted one of the suspects, 21-year-old Zachariah Shaffer, Friday afternoon. The other suspect, 22-year-old Kyle Lawrence, refused to come out of the house, which led to a brief standoff. After a short time, Lawrence surrendered.


Shaffer was taken to Memorial Hospital (http://www.memorialhealthsystem.com/wps/wcm/connect/MHS/MH) for minor burns and was arrested upon release. Lawrence suffered more severe burns from the Thursday fire and was originally taken to Memorial Hospital before being transferred to a burn care facility in Denver, where he is currently recovering.












Both men, who are from Colorado Springs, have been charged with first degree arson, conspiracy to commit first degree arson and second degree burglary.


Shaffer posted a $2,500 bond on Saturday. Lawrence will be arrested when he is released from the hospital.

http://www.coloradoconnection.com/uploadedImages/kxrm/Shaffer.JPG?w=440&h=330&aspect=nostretch

[trlcavscout]

I bet their parents are damn proud!

[merl]

what does the BATFE have to do with arson? they burned it down not blew it up.

[OneGuy67]

ATF has a task force out of the Springs with El Paso deputies on it. They have assisted with local investigations before when asked for additional LE resources that have nothing to do with guns, tobacco or explosives. The charges stay local.

[hammer03]

I've heard about the ATF helping with fire investigations before, enough that some folks now refer to them as the BATFE (and really big fires)

[SA Friday]

Arson investigations just flat out suck. Step one, secure the scene. Step two, call someone who knows what the hell they're doing. That's a fire marshall with lots of training or experience or the ATF.

[kidicarus13]

CSFD also has a number of arson investigators that have law enforcement powers. Lots of training required to be a successful arson investigator.

[theGinsue]

Any word on motive?

[van7559]

Over a traffic ticket he recieved

[car-15]

that story is 9 months old, he was sentenced a couple of days ago.
http://www.krdo.com/news/Green-Mountain-Falls-arsonist-sentenced/-/417220/17480096/-/r2dkqd/-/index.html
A Colorado Springs man convicted of setting fire to the Green Mountain Falls Town Hall in February was sentenced Monday to 12 years in prison.
21-year-old Zachariah Shaffer will also have to serve 5 years of probation after serving his time in the Department of Corrections.
Shaffer is one of three men charged in the arson. The town hall was completely destroyed in the flames.
In February, El Paso County Sheriff's deputies and agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives followed up on a tip that the two people responsible for the Green Mountain Falls fire were at 2034 Eagle View Drive in Colorado Springs.
The deputies contacted Shaffer and another person who was not suspected to be involved. Both individuals said a third person, 22-year-old Kyle Lawrence, was also in the home. After a brief standoff, Lawrence voluntarily surrendered.
Lawrence met with Sheriff's detectives and agents from the ATF at the Memorial Hospital where he was taken for treatment of severe burns. He was then transferred to a burn care facility in Denver.
Shaffer also was transported to Memorial Hospital to be treated for less severe burns and was subsequently arrested and booked into the Criminal Justice Center for the charges of First Degree Arson, a class three felony, Second Degree Burglary, a class four felony, and Conspiracy to Commit First Degree Arson, a class four felony.
Members from the El Paso County Sheriff's Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Green Mountain Falls Police collectively investigated the case.

[Ah Pook]

that story is 9 months old, he was sentenced a couple of days ago.
Oops. I just heard about the sentencing today. Didn't look at the date of the article.