A Gallup man booked June 29 for improper handling of fire and arson remains in custody as of July 20.

Jerry Brown, 18, came under the suspicion of Gallup police as they investigated an enclosed trailer fire June 17, at 314 Zecca St., which GPD Det. John Yearly noted in his report “that the fire was human caused and non-accidental with a probability that a hydrocarbon was used to accelerate paper fuels in the area of the point of origin.”

Police arrived at the scene at 6 am – light enough for police to conduct a thorough investigation. A large amount of paper was found in the left, front internal compartment of the trailer. The fire caused heavy damage to the trailer, burning through the wooden floor.

“There appeared to be an (accelerant) pour in this area, which created the burn through,” Yearly stated in the report.

As police and fire officials investigated the scene and swiftly determined that it was arson, Brown stood on the sidelines. GPD Officer Luke Martin recognized Brown as a suspect implicated in a fire several months earlier in the Mossman subdivision of Gallup.

Brown made an impression on officers when he was arrested for arson April 15. He was charged for setting fire to a shed at 611 Zecca Dr., in addition to assault on a police officer, resisting arrest, and criminal damage to a police unit.

“… Stone was combative and out of control to the point they transported him to his mother’s residence where they asked his mother … for her assistance in trying to calm him down to no avail,” Yearly noted in his report.

Additionally, on March 20, a witness caught Stone setting fire to a pile of leaves in an alley in the Mossman area, using a can of hairspray as an accelerant.

The report states that Stone’s mother is “very scared,” and that he suffers from psychological problems. She told Yearly that she found a gift card that he tried to set on fire.

“(Yearly) comes to the conclusion that J. Stone exhibits extreme fire setting behavior which is serial in nature, and that he poses an extreme risk to public safety in that he will not stop fire setting behavior,” the report states.

As of July 20, Stone remains in custody at the McKinley County Adult Detention Center. He’s being held on a $1,500 cash-only bond.

By Babette Herrmann

Sun Editor