A Washington state woman has been arrested in connection with a string of alleged arsons that may also include a deadly New Year’s Eve fire, officials said.
Sarah Ramey, 42, was arrested Jan. 28 after investigators used surveillance footage and other evidence found at a crime scene to suspect her of setting fires between the night of Jan. 25 and the morning of Jan. 27, Seattle’s KING-TV reported. She was charged with eight counts of first-degree arson, and other charges, police said.
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Police later arrested Ramey and she had a torch lighter in her possession, as well as a stolen credit card that had been used near one crime scene, FOX 13 of Seattle reported. She has denied any involvement.
Detectives then searched Ramey’s home where they found a Metro Parks jacket that was connected to the fires, a North Face jacket similar to the one seen in surveillance video, two Metro Parks keys (Ramey is accused of theft and burglary at Metro Parks), and a stolen checkbook belonging to the victim of a fire, KING reported. Detectives also reportedly found two pails of gasoline in Ramey’s 2002 Ford Ranger.
The checkbook belonged to James Elliot, 83, who died from asphyxia resulting from a fire in his home on New Year’s Eve, FOX 13 reported. The fire was not listed among the alleged arsons that Ramey is accused of committing and she was not officially charged with committing this fire.
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“There were several of us who, even that night, really wondered if it was arson. So we had concerns about that all along and I think the more arsons that we kept hearing about, the more concerned we became,” a neighbor and close friend, Kyna, told the outlet. “We’re feeling like, finally, some of the puzzle pieces are coming together, and the police and the fire department are hearing some of the things that we’ve noticed.”
The string of alleged arsons includes four that took place Jan. 25; seven that took place Jan. 26; and, one that took place just past midnight Jan. 27, in Tacoma and Ruston, according to the report.
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Ramey was being held at Pierce County Jail on a $5 million bond, which was increased from $3 million by a Pierce County Superior Court judge on Wednesday, Fox 13 reported.
There were no injuries in the fires Ramey is suspected of committing.
