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Pennsylvania Firefighters Arrested for Arson
SCHYULKILL HAVEN, Pa. - State police have arrested three eastern Pennsylvania firefighters in connection with nine arsons that caused damages estimated at more than $2 million.
Pennsylvania State Police at Schuylkill Haven charged the three men on Tuesday and say more arrests are possible.
Authorities charged 21-year-old Shawn Hoy, of Pine Grove, and 21-year-old John Eichert, of Orwigsburg, with multiple counts of arson. Eighteen-year-old Matthew Dixon, of Friedensburg, is charged with a single count.
Police say the men were all active members of the Friedensburg Fire Company when the arsons occurred. Seven barns, a vacant house and a field were burned between September 2009 and January 2010. Hoy is also charged in a 2007 fire.
The suspects are being held in Schuylkill County Prison in lieu of bail. It was not immediately clear if they had attorneys.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Pennsylvania State Police at Schuylkill Haven charged the three men on Tuesday and say more arrests are possible.
Authorities charged 21-year-old Shawn Hoy, of Pine Grove, and 21-year-old John Eichert, of Orwigsburg, with multiple counts of arson. Eighteen-year-old Matthew Dixon, of Friedensburg, is charged with a single count.
Police say the men were all active members of the Friedensburg Fire Company when the arsons occurred. Seven barns, a vacant house and a field were burned between September 2009 and January 2010. Hoy is also charged in a 2007 fire.
The suspects are being held in Schuylkill County Prison in lieu of bail. It was not immediately clear if they had attorneys.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Jack/dt on
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Why is this no surprise? Volunteers, young, males and probably white...am I the only one to see a pattern here?
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Permalink Reply by blair4630 on
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Oh well....they had fun fighting all those fires I'm sure. That's the point of what we do, right? To get our jollies?
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Permalink Reply by kurtis conway on
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you know i heard about this on the news because it wasnt that far from my house and i couldnt believe it. we are supposed to be the ones helping when fires get started, not the ones starting them. what would they have done had there been anyone in one of those structures? especially if someone had died from their assnine games...
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Permalink Reply by WestPhilly on
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I see you have no problem with profiling, Jack. You might be an OK guy afterall.
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WP, Hard to tell if you're being sarcastic (right, like you would ever BE sarcastic) but with the exception of "probably white" (really should read "mostly white" or exclusively white") I think I pretty much hit the nail on the head.
http://www.state.sc.us/forest/lear.htm
Who are these firefighters who weave back and forth between the role of knight and knave? Using existing research into the psychology of arson, the Forestry Commission has developed descriptors that present a general profile of the firefighter arsonist. While these are still being tested for reliability, law enforcement officers in South Carolina say they are remarkably accurate:
White male, age 17-26
* Product of a disruptive, harsh, or unstable rearing environment
* Poor relationship with father, overprotective mother
* If married, poor marital adjustment
* Lacking in social and interpersonal skills
* Poor occupational adjustment, employed in low-paying jobs
* Fascinated with fire service and it trappings
* May be facing unusual stress (family, financial, or legal problems
* Average to above-average intelligence but poor to fair academic performance
While the FBI study (Huff, 1994) showed most firefighter arsonists worked alone, many South Carolina cases involved several firefighters from a single department. This is similar to group behavior in adolescents, suggesting that insecurity and lack of maturity are indeed significant in the psychology of firefighter arsonists.
http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/downloads/pdf/publications/tr-141.pdf
The FBI study of 25 cases of firefighter arson in seven U.S. states and one Canadian province showed that the number one motive was excitement, especially among young firefighters who were eager to put their training to practical use, and to be seen as heroes to fellow firefighters and the community they served. In that study, 75 firefighters were found to be responsible for 182 fires.
In reviewing cases of firefighter arson for this report, it was apparent that one of the primary motives for firefighters who commit arson is to be seen as a hero. They may be the first to call in a fire, the first on the scene, and one of the most eager, excited, and enthusiastic members of the response team. Their main reason for lighting the fire is so they can appear as a hero, either by being the first to spot the flames, or by rescuing people and saving property.
See here - http://www.google.com/#q=profile+for+firefighter+arsonist&hl=en... and here - http://www.google.com/#hl=en&source=hp&q=volunteer+firefigh... - for a larger resource of information.
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Jack,
Far be it from me to be sarcastic.
And I knew you hit the nail on the head with your profile - you're preaching to the choir. But for some reason I wonder whether you would embrace profiling that focused on men of, say, Middle Eastern decent or young black males. Just curious.
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WP,
Despite opinions to the contrary, it is indeed done, and regularly. Profiling occurs when you pass security at an airport and it occurs when police are looking for drug dealers as well as when looking for an arsonist or serial killer. Profiling is effective when used in context, that is when you're profiling people in a certain area or situation. Like anything else it can be abused but in the right hands it's an effective tool.
(Yeah, I didn't think you were the sarcastic type.)
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There's hope for you yet.
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