Albany arson investigation continues

ALBANY — The Albany Fire Department continues its investigation into last year’s arson of Anderson Rental Company on Dawson Road.

For three months, the company has offered a hefty $20,000 reward for information, but so far, no one has been arrested.

“We think we’ve got the guy, but we don’t have enough to charge him,” AFD Arson Investigator Sam Harris said Wednesday. “We brought him in. He first agreed to take a polygraph, but then refused and got a lawyer. So that’s where we are at. We have not given up on this case at all. We are following any and all leads we get, and we are also still trying to locate the vehicle (driven by the arson suspect).”

The fire was set on the north side of the building during the early morning hours of Dec. 26 at the business’ 1819 Dawson Road location, according to Harris. The incident was captured on Anderson Rental’s surveillance system.

“The incident was captured on surveillance video,” Harris said. “The suspect has a very distinctive way of walking. He has a way of throwing his arm out to the side when he walks. You can clearly see it in the video. Also, the rear end of a vehicle that the suspect used can be seen, but we are not releasing a make and model yet.”

According to Harris, video evidence shows what appears to be a black male walking up to the side entrance of the business where the fire was set.

“The fire was actually set away from the house,” Harris said. “And what happened is it burned across the pine straw and set the business on fire. We got the call at 4:11 a.m. that morning, and it took us one minute and 55 seconds to respond. But (the fire) was fully involved.”

Prosecution of arson cases can sometimes be tricky, according to Harris, with the national average for successful convictions being as low as 7 percent. Arson cases have a three-year statute of limitations.

“We solve probably 50 percent of these things, even though the national average is around 7 percent solved,” Harris said. “The problem is these types of cases take time. It might be a year or two from now before someone finally brags about it or someone finds out and turns them in or we get the evidence we need. These things just take time.”

Anyone with information about the arson is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (229) 436-TIPS (8477).