Published: July 16, 2008 09:45 am      

Arsonist caught red-handed

Danie M. Huffman

wdreporter2@yahoo.com

Parker County Assistant Fire Marshal J.C. Travis will tell you arson is the hardest crime to prove. But, when you catch the perpetrator in the act, there is “no doubt.”

Travis caught a man setting fire to a vacant home in Cresson.

Officials were called out over the weekend to the Ponderosa Hills housing addition where three other fires have recently occurred.

Travis said firefighters arrived on scene around midnight and battled the structure blaze for nearly two hours. He added a can filled with a flammable liquid along with other undisclosed evidence was found and collected from the scene.

“We left the scene and had not been gone 14 minutes when we were called out again to the same address,” Travis said. “I said, ‘there’s no way.’ There was no doubt in my mind that fire was out.”

When he returned to the home in the 8800 block of Adams Circle, the grass underneath the mobile home was engulfed in flames along with another grass fire across the street.

After extinguishing the second and third fires, Travis patrolled the area, making sure his presence was known by spotlighting the area and using his emergency lights on his vehicle.

He purposely left the addition, turned off his lights and doubled back to the same address.

“I waited 20-feet away in some bushes,” Travis said. “I watched for about 10 minutes and saw him hold flames to the structure. When he stood up to watch the fire, I approached him.”

Travis immediately took the man in custody. He is identified as Billy James Myers, 29, of Cresson, and lives on the same street where the arson occurred.

Myers is also being investigated for the other structure fires in the area.

Travis said all of the homes were vacant at the time of the fires, but the danger was still present.

“Each firefighter on the scene and every resident in the area was in danger because of the fire,” Travis said. “There was a heavy fuel load with the tall grass surrounding the home and there were wind gusts of up to 25 mph. He was definitely putting lives in danger.”

Myers was also arrested in September for four fugitive warrants, theft by fraud, exploitation of the infirmed, contractors misapplication of payments and engaging in business of contracting without authority out of Louisiana.

He was held on a no bond until he was released almost a month later.

Myers, also known as Bill Myers, was released on the arson charge within hours, after posting a $15,000 bond.

Myers’ case will be presented to the grand jury.

Travis said if Myers is convicted of the second degree felony, he faces two to 20 years in prison and a fine.