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Last updated on Friday, December 30, 2016
(UNDATED) - October saw a Perry Township Volunteer Fire Department firefighter admit to setting fires in the Springville area, including one that destroyed the old Springville gymnasium; police arrested a Bloomfield School District biology teacher for sexually assaulting a student and a Bloomington school bus driver was arrested on child molesting and child pornography charges.
Adam Selbee, a Perry Township Volunteer Fire Department firefighter, 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.
Police say 19-year-old Selbee admitted to setting three vacant structure fires and and three hay bale fires, all which occurred in Perry Township. He is facing four counts of arson and three counts of criminal mischief. He posted a $5,000 cash bond and pleaded not guilty to the crimes. He is scheduled for a pretrial conference on January 5, 2017 at 1 p.m
Officers say Selbee was either the first firefighter to arrive on the scene or the reporting source for the fires.
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.
In that case Selbee is facing four counts of criminal recklessness and one count of obstructing traffic, Class B misdemeanors. He posted a $300 bond and was released from jail.
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A Bloomfield School District biology teacher was arrested on child seduction charges and suspended from his teaching position with pay.
Franklin D. Hall Jr. was arrested for allegedly having sexual relations with a student. He is facing a Level 5 felony charge of child seduction, a Class B misdemeanor charge of possession of marijuana and a Class C misdemeanor charge of possession of drug paraphernalia.
The probable cause affidavit states the investigation began in May after a parent informed him of rumors surrounding a sexual relationship with a student. The teenager provided detailed descriptions about Hall's home, sexual toys and his appearance. The teen reported their relationship started through Snapchat, a social media application in which photos or videos sent to another user disappear after a set period of time. The teen alleged Hall had sent a photo of his genitalia through the application, and the interactions escalated.
The two made arrangements via Snapchat to meet at Hall's home, where the alleged sexual encounters took place.
The teen told police that Hall gave her money, gave grades that were not earned to the teen and told her he was a "hopeless romantic."
His trial date is set for March 14, 2017.
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A Fairview Elementary School bus driver, 43-year-old Timothy Poteat, was arrested on two counts of child molesting and two counts of child pornography.
Officials say nine sexual images of naked girls sent from Poteat's email account on September 29 prompted Yahoo officials to notify the National Center of Missing and Exploited Children about him being a possible child pornographer.
Police searched Poteat's home at 844 East Miller Drive. Police confiscated a Macintosh computer which contained pictures of an elementary-aged girl being sexually assaulted with a toothbrush handle and also being forced to commit oral sex on Poteat.
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