Posted on 07/30/2005 8:41:17 AM PDT by Borax Queen
Authorities arrested a 44-year-old man Friday who they suspect set nine fires in two days south of Sierra Vista.
Mario Martinez Gurrola of Mexicali, Mexico, was arrested early Friday after four vehicles - including a tractor-trailer rig - and a mobile home were torched Wednesday, according to a news release from the Cochise County Sheriff's Department.
Evidence from the scenes in the communities of Hereford and Palominas, as well as similarities the fires shared, led the Sheriff's Department, Bisbee police and the fire officials to conduct an undercover operation Thursday night, the release said.
That night, four more vehicles in Hereford were set on fire between about 10:50 p.m. and 2:30 a.m., the release stated.
Gurrola was taken into custody and is charged with seven counts of arson, three counts of defacing or damaging property and one count of criminal damage, the release said.
Gurrola is believed to be an illegal entrant, the release stated. Authorities notified the Mexican Consulate.
Honest, hard-working people, setting fires ping.
Call McCloud.
Can't wait to hear how we caused this pig to 'burn amigo burn.'
LOL!... "doing the arsons Americans will not do."
In his primative Indian society, setting fires is a religious expression of happiness and good will. So, I'm afraid we'll have to set Gurrola free and give him back his happy matches. I'm sure that's what Presidente Fox's orders will be.
And don't forget the taxes that they pay!;)
Pretty good guess, I'd say.
Burning stuff that Americans are too lazy to burn.
ping
Hey, that's no big deal. He's just setting fires that American arsonists don't want to set. Oh brother, how ridiculous is that? LOL!
Yep! Typical on the border.
Ping
Updates as to WHY he said he did this would be appreciated.
Um, no, that would be "burn gringo burn".
I'll keep my ears open, Cindy. My wife has two co-workers who were burned by this creep. One says that the Border Patrol was involved in the second night's activities.
When the second fire was discovered on the second night, one of the victims scared someone out of the bushed near where the vehicle had been torched. We were told that he was later apprehended.
My wife's best friend had one vehicle totally burnt that night, and much of the rubber on the second vehicle ('75 BMW) had melted. There was only liability insurance on both vehicles, and the couple is heartsick over the damage.
There was an unusual line in the story in this morning's Sierra Vista Herald, and I'm going to have to go looking for it now...it may be what you're looking for.
Stand by...
BISBEE - A man thought to be an illegal immigrant was arrested early Friday morning on multiple arson charges in connection to this week's nine suspicious fires.
Mario Martinez Gurrola, 44, of Mexicali, Mexico, was arrested and charged with seven counts of arson, three counts of defacing or damaging of property, and a count of criminal damage, according to the Cochise County Sheriff's Department.
"This case was brought to a swift and efficient closure due to the close working relationship and cooperation of local law enforcement and public safety personnel to keep our communities safe from these types of crimes," Sheriff Larry Dever said Friday.
Martinez will undergo the normal criminal procedure in the county, the Sheriff's Department said. He was being held in the county jail, pending his initial hearing before a judge, which had not yet taken place as of Friday afternoon.
The Mexican Consulate has been notified, as the man is believed to be an illegal immigrant.
After the county Sheriff's Department received the first reports in a streak of suspicious fires early Wednesday occurring south of Sierra Vista near Palominas and Hereford, patterns emerged that allowed an undercover multiple-agency operation that included the Bisbee Police Department and Fry Fire Department to take place late Thursday night and Friday morning.
Air support from Arizona Department of Public Safety helicopter rangers also was involved, Fry Fire Chief Bill Miller said.
The suspicious fires on Wednesday involved a 12:30 a.m. semi-trailer blaze at Highway 92 mile post 344. Then a 1:30 a.m. report came of a city of Bisbee vehicle on fire at a Highway 92 residence near mile post 343.
At 5:10 p.m., firefighters received a report of another vehicle in Hereford on fire. The fourth report was received at 8:35 p.m. regarding a trailer burning in Palominas off Highway 92. And a fifth report was received at 10:47 p.m. regarding a vehicle parked in front of a Palominas apartment complex on fire.
The undercover operation ended early Friday morning after Martinez allegedly went on another arson spree and was arrested.
Miller said that during the sting, the suspicious fires began occurring at 10:52 p.m. Thursday with a 1971 GMC van ablaze in the 5000 block of Junkyard Road near Hereford Road. Another fire occurred at 11:57 p.m. involving of a 1975 BMW in the 6000 block of Calle de Menta.
The third fire involved a 1986 Ford F150 at 2:01 a.m. in the 6000 block of Jaxel Road.
Martinez was arrested after a 2:28 a.m. fire in the 5000 block of East Dakota Road involving a 1993 Ford Ranger, Miller said.
In 1998 there was an arsonist setting three grass fires at a time over a period of days in the Palominas areas, he said.
A person was later apprehended doing something similar around Interstate 10.
"When he was captured, our fires stopped," Leiendecker added.
Thanks HiJinx.
I wonder why he did it?
Wondering out loud...
because he could?
because he's an eco-terrorist?
because he converted to ___ and hates America?
because he's a creep and he wanted to?
We're importing savages. We have enough home-grown ones, yet we continue to import more...
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