Two men arrested for arson in Caroline County.
Two men have been arrested and charged after the Deputy State Fire Marshals from the Upper Eastern Regional Office announced the ending of their investigation of an arson fire in Ridgely, Wednesday.
The investigation from the Deputy State Fire Marshals concluded that on June 14, 2016, on 23290 Ninetown Road in Ridgely, Caroline County, MD at 10:22 P.M, 19-year old Dustin O’Neal and 18-year-old Jeremiah Durham entered the home illegally to steal metal to scrap for money. O’ Neal and Durham then reportedly went
on to set a fire inside of the home in an effort to cover their theft.
O’Neal, who was arrested Tuesday night, and Durham , who was arrested Wednesday, were reportedly charged with first degree arson, third degree burglary, first degree malicious burning, malicious destruction of property over $500, and theft less than $1,000. They were ordered to be held at the Caroline County Detention Center. O’Neal and Durham face over 58 years in prison and or $58,000 in fines each.
The Deputy State Fire Marshals was assisted by The Caroline County Sheriff’s Office in finding O’Neal at a private residence in Henderson on Wednesday.
Police say that the two story home which was owned by Joseph Murray was empty at the time of the arson, and that the fire took 43 firefighters from Ridgely and nearby fire departments in the area to put out.
