SPOKANE, Wash. – The suspect behind the spot fires that disrupted downtown Spokane on Tuesday morning made an appearance in court. While in custody, Chad Horne confessed to setting the fires, which stretched from ‘My Fresh Basket’ in Kendall Yards to Washington State University Spokane.
An EV charging station at the university was destroyed. According to the probable cause affidavit, police captured Horne on nearby surveillance video. However, identifying him from the footage proved challenging. Some videos only showed parts of his clothing, while others captured only the lower half of his body.
Once the pieces came together, police realized Horne faced similar charges around this time last year. During his court appearance, the topic of mental health assistance was repeatedly mentioned. Despite his counsel’s advice, Horne spoke out.
“Living in a garbage can for the past 1 month, I’ve been eating garbage, out of a garbage can, living in the garbage can and I have cancer, I should have been in a group home the last time I was released, they did not get me into a group home and they threw me out,” Horne stated.
Court documents revealed that Horne attempted to contact police after they released his photo in connection to the investigation. He informed officers he was in the Spokane Valley area and eventually provided them with his location. However, by the time police arrived, Horne had fled but was soon arrested in Liberty Lake.
Horne’s arraignment for the recent case is set for July 22. Regarding last year’s incidents, Horne faced reduced charges of reckless burning instead of second-degree arson and served two months in jail.
