Free Republic

Fire hero in lockup on charge of assaultBy Jade Jackson Lloyd / Reporter-News Staff WriterMay 26, 2003 Kris Leija, the hero/suspect of last month’s 21/21 Apartments fire, made a return trip Friday night to what is fast becoming his second home: the Taylor County Jail. Leija, 23, made national news in late April after rescuing four children from the blazing apartment complex at 2121 N. 6th St., which ultimately burned to the ground. Less than a week later, he was named as a suspect in the fire. Friday’s 10:10 p.m. arrest came as the result of a fight between...

ABILENE, Texas (AP) - The man hailed as a hero for rescuing four children from a burning building over the weekend has been named as a suspect in the arson because of "discrepancies" in his story, authorities said Thursday. Kris Leija, 22, is one of several people whom authorities said they are questioning about Sunday's blaze at an apartment complex. Investigators ruled arson was the cause after finding a small amount of accelerant in a trailer near where the fire apparently started. The kind of hydrocarbon accelerant - gasoline, for example, is a common one - is being determined by...

Matthew Minard / Reporter-NewsKris Leija addresses the media after his bail hearing at the Taylor County Courthouse on Thursday. Abilene Reporter News   URL: http://www.reporter-news.com/abil/nw_local/article/0,1874,ABIL_7959_1928988,00.html Good Samaritan's life mostly series of stumblesBy Sidney Levesque / Reporter-News Staff WriterMay 1, 2003 Sunday was not the first time Kris Leija rushed to a fiery building to rescue its occupants. Unlike last time, however, his rescue of four small children from the 21/21 Apartments has garnered national attention plus a label authorities added Wednesday — arson suspect. Leija denies he started the fire that consumed the complex. People who know the short,...

URL: http://www.reporter-news.com/abil/nw_local/article/0,1874,ABIL_7959_1925972,00.html Leija hopes fame changes his lifeBy Jason Sheehan / Reporter-News Staff WriterApril 30, 2003 Taylor County Sheriff’s officials faced a firestorm of criticism for arresting a hometown hero who has gained the national spotlight. The Taylor County Sheriff’s Office and the Abilene Fire Department were bombarded with messages Tuesday as hundreds of people across the country expressed outrage at the arrest of Kris Leija. Meanwhile, Leija spent most of the day telling his story to national media outlets. Leija, credited with carrying four children to safety during the massive fire in the 21/21 Apartments, was arrested Monday...