SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. – Deputies with the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) arrested a man suspected of starting a brush fire near Gateway Park, Saturday, June 21.
While Spokane Valley fire crews were battling the fire, deputies were informed about a potential suspect, identified as Christopher Walser, 45, seen holding a lighter near the fire location, SCSO said in a release.
Investigators said Walser, a convicted felon with 13 prior misdemeanor and felony convictions, including a previous reckless burning conviction, was found sitting in dry brush along the Centennial Trail holding the lighter and noticed multiple burn holes in his clothing.
When approached, Walser made erratic statements and appeared heavily intoxicated, SCSO said in the release.
Walser was charged with misdemeanor reckless burning in the second degree and booked into the Spokane County Jail.
