Former Tenn. Firefighters Charged With Arson

Oct. 20--Two former firefighters have been arrested and their cases are pending in court after allegedly being involved in setting fires in Claiborne County.

Brandon Evans, 19, and Michael Loper, 19, both former volunteers with Springdale Volunteer Fire Department were arrested and released from the Claiborne County Jail after a thorough investigation by the Claiborne County Bomb and Arson Task Force.

"We conducted the investigations completely making sure that we had all the information that we needed to lead us to the charges," Bruce Myers, an investigation with the task force said.

Brandon Evans is accused of being involved in a brush fire that was set on Highway 58 in Harrogate that occurred on March 18 resulting in the Harrogate Volunteer Fire Department being dispatched to the scene.

Evans is also allegedly involved in a house fire along with firefighter Michael Loper in the Springdale community.

"The home was abandoned and in foreclosure at the time of the fire," Myers said, "It happened on April 24 at 186 Floyd Evans Lane and after collecting all the evidence, it pointed straight to arson."

At the time of brush fire on Highway 58, Evans was a member of the Harrogate Fire Department but for reasons that are unknown he was released from Harrogate and joined the Springdale department.

The task force has been actively investigating both of the incidents since April and due to the fact that both of them were firefighters, made the investigation more intense.

"Through the investigation, the two remained on the department as active members to not give away that they were under investigation," Myers said, "It really put the department in a difficult position but Chief Adam Payne was very cooperative in helping us get to this point."

Since the fire in April, nothing suspicious has occurred that could trace the two back to any fires that the departments responded to.

Through the course of the investigation, Myers and investigator Anthony Fultz took samples and also spoke with witnesses that placed them near the locations when the fires occurred. Samples that were gathered and sent to the lab came back positive for accelerants.

"Just because they want a little excitement, they endanger their own lives as well as other people's lives just to have something to do and they put everybody at risk," Myers said.

The two were booked in to the Claiborne County Jail where they were both given a $50,000 secure bond.

Loper was in court on September 29 for his initial appearance. Evans will appear on October 27.

"They don't realize the damage until it's already been done," Myers said,

"When you have a fire, you are endangering the firefighters, the officers, the paramedics but the bigger danger is the public and that's who we work to protect, not endanger."