MARYSVILLE — A 21-year-old man allegedly started a fire that burned the side of a Marysville church on Friday. He told police it was an accident.
He was charging his phone outside Mountain View Presbyterian Church on 100th Street NE. It was about 10:20 p.m. While he was waiting, he spotted a pair of old shoes nearby. He lit the laces on fire, according to a probable cause affidavit. The flames spread quickly, charring the side of the church.
An officer snapped photos of the suspect captured on video surveillance.
On Monday, that same officer helped a man who said he had been assaulted near a food mart on 88th Street NE. The suspect had left on a skateboard, but the officer caught up with him.
The officer quickly realized the skateboarder’s jacket, black frame glasses and baseball cap matched the clothing worn by the arson suspect, according to court documents.
When the officer showed the man the surveillance photos, he reportedly said, “That’s me!”
He was booked into the Snohomish County Jail for investigation of second-degree arson.
