KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – A 27-year-old man has been charged with nine felonies in relation to a string of arson reports near Polo, Missouri.
The Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office reported that Harold Edwards of Kansas City, Missouri was charged with:
- three counts of second-degree arson
- three counts of second-degree burglary
- three counts of first-degree property damage
Sheriff Mitchell Allen stated Edwards was booked into the county’s detention center without a bond.
One of the house fires resulted in the death of 96-year-old Lorene Fickess. The sheriff’s office told KCTV5 more charged are expected to be filed.
Allen said he met with more than 20 members of Fickes’ family over the weekend.
“There were some tears, some prayers,” Allen said. “They’re relieved that we found a person of interest and made an arrest for the death of their mother.”
The sheriff said an influx of community tips and video played a major role in identifying and finding Edwards. He would not elaborate on what evidence led to the arrest, but mentioned that Edwards’ car played a major role.
He said Edwards has no criminal history or any known connections to Caldwell County. He hoped that the next stages of the investigation would reveal why Edwards chose to target the community.
“There’s a little bit of anger to see someone do this, not just in my community but anyone’s community,” Allen said. “It angers officers, it angers the public, it scares the public to know that these things happen.”
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