STEPHANIE ZEILSTRA
Reprinted by permission
of the St. Joseph News-Press (St. Joseph, MO)
Inside: Post/View Condolences
Photo Courtesy of St. Joseph News-Press
Platte County authorities charged Jason Hendrix, 26, with starting a fire that led to the death of a volunteer firefighter.
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The man authorities said confessed to starting a fire that contributed to
the death of a firefighter pleaded innocent to an arson charge on Monday.
Jason Hendrix, 26, of Dearborn, is charged with second-degree arson in
connection with a fire set to a barn near Edgerton. Mr. Hendrix is a
volunteer firefighter with the Edgerton Trimble Fire Department.
Travis Brown, 30, of Dearborn, was a volunteer firefighter with the Dearborn
Area Fire Protection District who died when the tanker truck in which he was
riding to the fire overturned.
The driver of the tanker truck, Perry McAully, was in fair condition Monday
at Liberty Hospital, a hospital official said.
During the arraignment in Platte County Circuit Court, Judge Dan Samanski
approved a request by public defender Bert Godding for a 10 percent cash
bond payment of the $20,000 bond originally set for Mr. Hendrix.
Platte County Assistant Prosecutor Roseann Ketchmark said Mr. Hendrix faces
up to seven years in prison if he’s convicted.
Mr. Samanski put special conditions on the bond request and said Mr. Hendrix
is not allowed to have any fire-making materials or flammable materials in
his possession. If he is discovered to have those materials, he’ll be taken
into custody and the bond set at $200,000.
Assistant Platte County Prosecuting Attorney Brad Kavanaugh argued the bond
should not be reduced, because Mr. Hendrix poses a danger to society.
Mr. Hendrix confessed to starting the fire early Saturday morning at the
intersection of Missouri Route B and Malcolm Lake Road in a statement to
Platte County Sheriff’s Department officials.
In his confession, he stated he started the fire by lighting a stack of
paper feed bags with one wooden match. After he started the fire, Mr.
Hendrix closed the barn door and left the scene.
In his statement, he also admitted to starting several grass fires in Platte
County over the past several weeks.
Platte County Prosecutor Todd Graves said the department is actively
investigating the incident to determine if additional charges will be filed.
He said developments could occur in the next two days.
Mr. Graves cited the felony murder rule as a possible means to file
additional charges, in which case Mr. Hendrix would have to appear in court
again.
The next court appearance for Mr. Hendrix will be at 9 a.m. June 12.
Bill Farr, a state fire marshal who assisted in the investigation, said the
firefighters’ community is saddened by the loss.
"Firefighters are a strong brotherhood, and it’s difficult when we have a
firefighter killed," Mr. Farr said. "But it’s even more disheartening that a
firefighter started the fire that Travis died responding to. It’s hard to
determine what makes a person start a fire. Some do it for something to do,
each case is different. It can be an anger thing, a domestic situation, it’s
hard to tell."
Luther Hattens, whose barn was destroyed in the arson, said it’s a sad
situation for the entire community.
"My loss isn’t anything compared to the loss of his family and five
children," Mr. Hattens said. "I hate that this had to happen. My heart goes
out to his family. It tore me to pieces to hear that he died on his way to
the fire."
A trust fund for Mr. Brown’s family has been established at the Platte
Valley Bank, P.O. Box 26, Dearborn, MO 64439.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Previously on Firehouse.com
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