Two Students Busted for Arsons At Washington Middle School
Two Washington Middle School students are facing suspension after they were busted for using lighters and Axe body spray to start several fires at the school earlier this month.
According to a police report, the mother of a student contacted School Emphasis Officer Erin Rodriguez on December 15th with concerns about her son who, according to a police report, was "setting small fires" at Washington.
This was apparently news to Officer Rodriguez, who had not heard about the fires from administrators. An assistant principal at the school later told the officer that four fires had been set in the school between December 2nd and 4th; two in a bathroom, one in a locker room, and another in a hallway near the school's gym. The report does not say why the school didn't notify police about the fires.
Officer Rodriguez spoke with both two boys administrators believed were involved in the arsons, and they admitted to setting the fires. One of the boys admitted to setting the fire outside of the gym, and told the officer that he'd sprayed Axe cologne on a wall outside the gym and then set it alight. The other boy told the officer that he'd used a lighter to heat up the combination lock on his locker which, the report says, left a burn mark. None of the fires caused major damage.
The report says the school plans to handle the students' discipline internally and will suspend the boys, who may also be forced to participate in the Seattle Fire Department's Fire Stoppers program. SFD's website describes Fire Stoppers as as: "a free, confidential education program for children who show curiosity about fire."