CROWN POINT, Ind. --
An 18-year-old volunteer firefighter who has been charged with setting a series of fires in northwest Indiana told investigators he set at least two of the blazes so he could be called to put them out, according to court documents.
James Marshall Edwards III, of Merrillville, was charged with one count of Class B felony arson and five counts of Class D felony arson. If convicted, he could face a maximum of 35 years in prison, according to a release from the Lake County, Ind., Prosecutor's Office.
According to an affidavit filed in criminal court in Lake County on Wednesday, Edwards, a firefighter for the Merrillville Volunteer Fire Department in Independence Hill, admitted he set fires at the Croatian Center, 8550 Taft St., on Jan. 27, and Grandma's Country Depot, 8201 Taft St., late Monday night.
"When asked why he started these fires ... he stated that he did it, 'for the call-outs,'" the affidavit read.
He also admitted setting two cars and an All-In-One rental vehicle on fire at Exhaust Master, 7913 Taft St. early Tuesday, the affidavit said. The two cars, which belonged to customers at Exhaust Master, were completely destroyed.
A Merrillville police officer at the scene of the Exhaust Master fire reported seeing footprints in the snow, which appeared to be "the same or similar to prints he had seen when he went to Grandma's Country Depot to investigate the fire there."
Edwards admitted setting the fire at the Croatian Center using a Gatorade bottle filled with gasoline, the affidavit said.
When asked about a fire at an apartment building under construction at 9134 Hayes St. on Nov. 29, 2007, Edwards at first denied any involvement, but stated he was there acting as a fireman. He eventually admitted starting that fire, the affidavit alleged, and that he didn't need accelerant because there was plenty of sawdust laying around, and he used a cigarette lighter to start the fire.
Edwards' bond has been set at $80,000, the release said. His case is assigned to Lake Superior Court Judge Clarence Murray. Copyright 2008, Sun-Times News Group
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