Three men have been charged in connection to two arson fires that destroyed vacant homes in Harford Twp. in March and April.
Information from Susquehanna County detectives and Pennsylvania Game Commission officer led Pennsylvania State Police fire investigators to question Dylan Slater and two of his friends.
Slater, 20, of Nicholson, was charged with multiple arson counts by Fire Marshals Jeffrey Winters and Jason Mills for fires in unoccupied structures on March 10 and April 16 in Harford Twp.
Allen Call, 20, also of Nicholson, and William Jennings, 18, of Hop Bottom, face conspiracy arson charges.
According to the affidavit filed in Clifford District Court, the March 10 fire broke out just after midnight at an abandoned mobile home on Station Road, just off Route 11.
The home had been unoccupied for about 20 years, according to the affidavit, and was fully engulfed in flames as the first firefighter arrived on the scene.
Fire Marshal Winters determined the blaze started within the trailer and was arson.
In an interview with Fire Marshal Winters, Slater admitted to lighting the fires on Station Road, as well as the April 16 fire on Stevens Road.
Slater told investigators that he drove to the Station Road mobile home with Call and Jennings, and the three of them decided to look inside, then decided to light it on fire.
Slater told investigators that he gathered some trash from within the trailer and lit it with his lighter, causing the curtains to catch on fire.
Call and Jennings both offered similar stories to investigators.
In the April 16 Stephens Road fire, Harford Fire Company was assisted by neighboring departments from Clifford, Hop Bottom, Montrose and Nicholson, in knocking down the blaze in the abandoned house.
A neighbor told Fire Marsh Mills that he heard two car doors slam shut the night of the fire, then heard a vehicle drive off. He then noticed a light in the abandoned home, and realized it was a fire and called 9-1-1.
Slater told investigators he used a light to set some rags on fire in the home.
Jennings told investigators that he and Slater drove back to the scene where they observed the structure fire fully involved.
Slater faces arson charges in both cases; and Jennings was charged with conspiracy –arson counts in both fires. Call was charged only in connection with the March 10 blaze.
Preliminary hearings for all three have been scheduled for Tuesday, May 30, in front of Magisterial District Judge Suzanne Brainard in Clifford District Court.
Three charged in recent Harford arsons
I think DYLAN SLATER deserves what he gets jail time-wise personally I think 10 years (5 years for each fire he started) or however long it takes to rehabilitate him and the other young men who were involved and charged with arson. They were fortunate that no one lost their life because of these young men being stupid starting fires for giggles and ‘fun’. There are much better and safer ways to do things for laughs and fun; than to just get publicity and draw attention to themselves.
At age 20 DYLAN SLATER, who is a fairly new father, should realize it is time to grow up and take his stand in adulthood and set an example for his peers and new baby. Jail is just a hinderance, for the crimes he committed which have ruined his life and gave him a police record that will follow him the rest of his life.