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Last updated on Wednesday, October 19, 2016
(SPRINGVILLE) - Perry Township Volunteer Fire Department firefighter Adam Selbee admitted to Homeland Security and Lawrence County Police that he started the fire at the old Springville gymnasium, and others, because he “enjoyed responding to fires as a firefighter.”
According to a Lawrence County Superior Court II probable cause affidavit, Selbee admitted on July 19 that he walked to the 1936 Springville gymnasium with a cup of gasoline, poured that gasoline in the kitchen area and set the gasoline on fire.
It took more than 100,000 gallons of water and firefighters from Perry, Marshall, Oolitic, Shawswick and Indian Creek Volunteer Fire Departments to extinguish the blaze. The fire was called in at 12:52 a.m. and it took firefighters until around 5 a.m. to get a handle on the fire.
Lawrence County Police Department officers met with Josh Kreigh, an investigator with Homeland of Security, regarding five structure fires and three hay bale fires, all of which occurred in Perry Township.
Kreigh learned that 19-year-old Selbee was a possible suspect.
Officers say Selbee was either the first firefighter to arrive on the scene or the reporting source for the fires.
Investigators requested a search warrant to place a GPS tracking device on a white GMC extended-cab pickup driven by Selbee.
Officers learned that Selbee was not only responsible for the fires, but also responsible for a series of traffic accidents in the Springville area caused by large limestone rocks being placed on the highway.
According to a second probable cause affidavit filed in Superior Court I, on October 10, police were able to track Selbee to the 1700 block of State Road 54 near Phillips Lane. The vehicle stopped and didn't move for two minutes.
Kreigh notified Lawrence County Police Capt. Jon Flynn to respond to the area.
When Flynn arrived, he saw Selbee's white pickup traveling east on State Road 54 at a low speed and then saw two large limestone rocks in the westbound lane about 50 to 75 yards after passing the truck. According to investigators the rocks were in the same area where Selbee's truck stopped for two minutes. Flynn removed the rocks from the road.
Last Thursday, officers arrested Selbee on a warrant on five counts of criminal recklessness and one count of obstructing traffic, Class B misdemeanors. After being read his Miranda rights, he admitted to starting three vacant-structure fires in the Springville area and also admitted to setting fire to hay bales on three different occasions in various locations in Perry Township.
He was then charged with four counts of arson and three counts of criminal recklessness charges in Lawrence Superior Court II.
Indiana Department of Homeland of Security is still investigating the case.
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