April 30--A volunteer Reno County firefighter accused of setting more than a dozen grass fires last fall -- including three in one day -- has been arrested and charged with 14 felony counts of arson.
Cody A. Knox, 19, of Arlington, was arrested on a warrant Friday and booked into the Reno County jail on counts alleging he set 14 fires in county fields between Oct. 16 and Nov. 27, according to Reno County District Court records.
Knox, a volunteer firefighter for Reno County Fire District No. 4, allegedly used a cigarette lighter to set the fires, according to Reno County District Attorney Keith Schroeder.
Reno County Fire District No. 4 covers Arlington, Langdon, Plevna and Abbyville.
Dates of multiple fires include three near Arlington Nov. 21, two near Arlington Nov. 11, and two on Oct. 17.
Knox posted a $7,500 bond to be released from jail and is scheduled to make his first appearance in court Friday. He could not be reached for comment. An arrest report lists the U.S. Army as Knox's employer. At the time of the fires, Knox was attending Hutchinson Community College studying fire science, according to the Reno County Sheriff's Office.
Schroeder couldn't comment on the motive behind the alleged arsons and would only say Knox's arrest was the result of "good police work" by Reno County Sheriff's officers, who investigated the case for several months. He declined to comment further on details of the investigation.
Sheriff's Capt. Steve Lutz said volunteer firefighters get paid per fire call, but it's just a small amount typically reimbursing them for gas mileage or related expenses.
"I don't know if it was for the thrill of it or if he was bored and wasn't seeing enough action," Lutz said. "A lot of times, (investigators) look at firemen because they aren't getting enough action, they know how to set the fires, and think they can get away with it without getting people hurt."
Several landowners in the area said they knew of the fires, but that there was no damage on their land.
Freeman Yoder, an area dairy farmer who also has a seed-cleaning business, said he and his family were outside working one day last fall when they saw smoke on a piece of Conservation Reserve Program acreage near their property and reported it.
"We were out here doing chores and seen it go," he said. "We got it stopped pretty quick."
However, he noted, the area is in a drought. If it had been a windy day, "it could have gotten into a shelterbelt and really taken off."
Duane Sullivan, who lives on a few acres between Hodge and Sego Road on Irish Creek Road, said he didn't realize that two of the fires had occurred at the intersections on either side of him.
He was glad to know there wasn't much damage.
"It was dry back then," he said, noting that the situation could have been worse.
According to Lutz, Knox was involved in a vehicle accident en route to one of the fires but insisted he was fine, so a fire truck picked him up on the way to the fire, leaving Knox's vehicle behind.
The complaint against Knox was filed last Wednesday in Reno County District Court. All of the arson charges are severity level-7 felonies, which carry a presumptive probation sentence upon conviction unless the defendant has two or more person felonies.
Schroeder said he hasn't handled a case before involving a firefighter accused of arson.
News reporter Amy Bickel contributed to this story.
Copyright 2013 - The Hutchinson News, Kan.
