EVERETT — A 15-year-old boy first spray-painted obscenities and his street name on a delivery van before starting a fire that caused $200,000 damage to a family-owned floral shop in Everett, prosecutors say.
The green spray paint came from a storage shed at Everett Floral. The owners, Ernie and Cindy Frederickson, recognized the color. They used the paint to refinish the green stands for funeral arrangements.
Police interviewed the boy two weeks after the Aug. 6 fire. He allegedly admitted to vandalizing the van, according to charging documents filed Thursday.
Officers questioned him a second time after the Fredericksons reported that they recognized the paint. They told investigators that there were several cans of it inside a covered storage and work area attached to the business.
The boy was arrested Monday at his grandmother’s house, just a couple of blocks from the flower shop. He later admitted going into the workshop area and lighting some papers on fire, Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Bridget Casey wrote in court papers. He told detectives that he tried to stomp out the fire and thought it had burned out before he left.
The boy reportedly admitted that after he left he heard an explosion and the sirens of fire trucks.
Prosecutors charged the teen with first-degree reckless burning and second-degree burglary.
This is not the first time the Everett boy has been in trouble with the law. He’s been banned from the Everett Transit Station and prosecuted for damaging a golf course. Police say the boy is an affiliate of the Juggalos, a street gang.
Court documents don’t describe any motive for the fire. Authorities have said they don’t believe the floral shop was targeted for any specific reason.
Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463; hefley@heraldnet.com.
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