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Teen Charged in Nine Arsons in Fire-Ravaged Coatesville, Pa.
By MARYCLAIRE DALE
Associated Press Writer
COATESVILLE, Pa. (AP) -- A 19-year-old described as a pyromaniac who liked to watch things burn was charged Thursday with setting nine fires in an arson-plagued steel town, including a block-long blaze that displaced dozens of people last month.
Roger Leon Barlow Jr., of nearby Downingtown, was charged with arson, aggravated assault and related counts. He was arraigned Thursday afternoon and his bail was set at $9 million.
Barlow is a pyromaniac who liked to watch things burn, Chester County District Attorney Joseph Carroll told The Associated Press. The teen told investigators on Wednesday that he set the fires, all of them since Jan. 2, according to a police affidavit.
Carroll would not discuss a motive for the blazes at a news conference Thursday. He said he does not believe the fires were gang-related, hate crimes or targeted at specific individuals.
Coatesville, about 35 miles west of Philadelphia, has tallied 18 arsons this year and 26 last year, one of them fatal. Residents have said they are scared to go to bed at night for fear another fire will break out.
Carroll said Barlow set a fire late last month that tore through 15 row homes on a single block, displacing about 50 residents and causing an estimated $1.2 million in damage.
With a suspect under arrest, Carroll said residents should be able to sleep easier, "although I'm not convinced this is the only person involved."
Barlow set his last fire on Feb. 3, but the last identified arson in the area was Feb. 6 at a trailer home in nearby East Fallowfield Township, Carroll said. Besides the 18 fires in Coatesville this year, there have been at least five outside the city limits.
U.S. Attorney Laurie Magid said the investigation wasn't over.
In December, authorities arrested three people believed to have been responsible for some of the arsons, including the early December blaze that killed an 83-year-old woman, but the fires continued.
Staff at the Downingtown district court where Barlow was arraigned said he did not have an attorney. Barlow's father, Roger, declined to comment when reached by phone Thursday afternoon.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Associated Press Writer
COATESVILLE, Pa. (AP) -- A 19-year-old described as a pyromaniac who liked to watch things burn was charged Thursday with setting nine fires in an arson-plagued steel town, including a block-long blaze that displaced dozens of people last month.
Barlow is a pyromaniac who liked to watch things burn, Chester County District Attorney Joseph Carroll told The Associated Press. The teen told investigators on Wednesday that he set the fires, all of them since Jan. 2, according to a police affidavit.
Carroll would not discuss a motive for the blazes at a news conference Thursday. He said he does not believe the fires were gang-related, hate crimes or targeted at specific individuals.
Coatesville, about 35 miles west of Philadelphia, has tallied 18 arsons this year and 26 last year, one of them fatal. Residents have said they are scared to go to bed at night for fear another fire will break out.
Carroll said Barlow set a fire late last month that tore through 15 row homes on a single block, displacing about 50 residents and causing an estimated $1.2 million in damage.
With a suspect under arrest, Carroll said residents should be able to sleep easier, "although I'm not convinced this is the only person involved."
Barlow set his last fire on Feb. 3, but the last identified arson in the area was Feb. 6 at a trailer home in nearby East Fallowfield Township, Carroll said. Besides the 18 fires in Coatesville this year, there have been at least five outside the city limits.
U.S. Attorney Laurie Magid said the investigation wasn't over.
In December, authorities arrested three people believed to have been responsible for some of the arsons, including the early December blaze that killed an 83-year-old woman, but the fires continued.
Staff at the Downingtown district court where Barlow was arraigned said he did not have an attorney. Barlow's father, Roger, declined to comment when reached by phone Thursday afternoon.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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