HOLLADAY, Utah, Nov. 19, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — A 21-year-old man was booked into jail last week for alleged arson after a Halloween fire that damaged the roof of a residence.
The incident was reported as a field or grass fire, and was called in at about 11 p.m. Oct. 31. Investigators found a burned plastic garbage can beneath at the Tocate Lane Interstate 215 underpass.
“Inside the garbage can were remnants of fireworks, and it was apparent that a firework was placed inside the can then ignited, the firework exploded in the garbage can, forcing the lid off, blowing holes in the bottom of the can, which scattered sparks and embers into the dry grass on the north side of the road,” says an affidavit filed in the first-degree felony arson arrest of Slade Kanen Owen.
The fire grew large enough to spread, court documents said, and it sparked a fire on the roof of a residence in the 2900 block of Country Road, about 500 feet north of the fireworks site.
“The remnants of a firework and the plastic garbage were photographed and collected for potential evidence. The individuals responsible for setting off the fireworks were not identified.”
Tips from an area resident eventually led Unified Fire investigators to obtain a Geo Fence warrant, which allowed them to find an image of the vehicle that had been at the same site during an earlier incident that involved fireworks and fire.
The image led investigators to Owen, of South Jordan, who was taken into custody Thursday, Nov. 16.
Owen was booked into the Salt Lake County jail system without bail. He has since been released.
