Arson suspect arrives at police interview with singed eyebrows

A Columbus man is facing arson charges after a fire involving fuel tanks on the West Side. When the suspect was questioned, he reportedly had visibly singed eyebrows, and bandages on his arm. 

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According to a Columbus police report, officers were called to the 1800 block of Walcutt Road, where they found fire damage at the property. According to the Columbus Division of Fire, investigators at the scene observed fire damage to three large fuel storage containers on the property, with estimated loss of $25,000. After the scene exam, investigators reviewed surveillance footage, which showed a Dodge Dakota truck pull up to a locked gate; the driver exited, unlocked it, and drove to the fuel storage containers. From the video, it appears the truck driver is removing fuel from the storage containers and loading it into his truck. The video also shows the driver moving to the rear of his truck, lifting, and closing his truck lid to the cap.

While removing the fuel, a flash fire occurs, prompting the driver to get into his truck and drive away until he realized something in the bed of his truck was also on fire. The driver then backed the vehicle toward the fuel tanks, causing the fire to spread further. He exited the scene and went south on Walcutt Rd. after re-locking the gate. The truck and the person caught on camera matched the profile of an ex-employee, William Dave Bush. Investigators located, Mirandized, and interviewed William Bush at his place of employment on April 15th.

Bush entered the room with burns to his right cheek, singed eyebrows, a burn on his right earlobe, and a large bandage on his right arm, which he admitted was from a burn. Mr. Bush stated he received the burn while working at his job. Upon further scrutiny of his statements, Bush said that he “actually received the burn from a brush fire”.  Once confronted with the evidence, Mr. Bush admitted to stealing gas from his last job. He said he was fired from the job but never returned the key. Bush claimed that the fire was accidentally caused by lighting a cigarette. William Bush is being charged with Felony Arson, Property Damage over $1,000 dollars.

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