Two men, including a firefighter from southwest suburban Wilmington have been charged with arson for setting fire to the firefighter's pickup truck and filing a false insurance claim for it, authorities said.
The firefighter, Ronald Armstrong, "torched his own vehicle" and then filed an insurance claim, said Will County Sheriff's spokesman Ken Kaupas.
A judge set bail for Armstrong at $100,000 and a motion to reduce that bail was denied in court today, said Will County State's Attorney's office spokesman Chuck Pelkie. Armstrong posted bond and was released, according to jail records.
Armstrong, 22, of the 900 block of James Street in Wilmington, was charged with arson and insurance fraud, both of which are felonies. He was taken into custody Monday, following the issuance of a warrant, said Pelkie.
Another man, Jeremy Sorensen, has also been charged with felony arson for the incident, said Pelkie. Sorensen, 21, of the 32000 block of South Indian Trail Road in Wilmington, was also taken into custody Monday.
They are accused of setting fire to Armstrong's 2005 Ford F-250 truck on or about February 14, said Pelkie. Armstrong then made a false claim for the damages on a State Farm insurance policy that he took out by himself, said Pelkie.
"Our whole organization is shocked by this incident,'' said Wilmington Fire Protection District Chief Tim Zlomie. "I don't think any of us saw this coming. Up to this point he was always a good firefighter.''
Armstrong was hired as a firefighter EMT for the volunteer department in Jan. of 2009. "It's an unfortunate event, especially for the men and women in my department that work so hard,'' Zlomie said.
Armstrong was placed on administrative leave last week, but he will be fired following a meeting tonight, said Zlomie.
Copyright 2012 - Chicago Tribune
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
