Summit County has been hit by a string of arsons that have the Sheriff's Office urging the community for help. In the dead of night, when most slumber, unknown arsonists have carried flames to public properties, first setting a large dumpster ablaze at the warehouse on Apache St., then moving to ignite bathrooms at Uniontown Community Park and Diamond baseball fields. The fire-starting spree spanned from 1 am to 4 am on Sunday, June 8, only to resume less than 24 hours later when a 16-passenger van was torched at the same Apache St. site, as reported by the Summit County Sheriff's Office's social media post.
In their online plea, the Sheriff's Office is rallying the eyes and ears of Summit County, looking for anyone who may have seen something that could lead to the person or persons responsible. The string of arsons, which saw fires lit at seemingly random yet public locations, prompted the department to ask residents to remain vigilant and to report any odd happenings, especially during the early morning hours when the incidents occurred; such measures have become increasingly necessary as the perpetrators remain at large.
Compounding their efforts, law enforcement officials are reaching out to citizens to scour through any video footage captured by their security cameras or smart doorbells. Hoping that a digital eye may have caught a fleeting shadow or a face that could crack the case wide open, they urge reviewing footage between the hours of 1 am and 4 am on the days of the arsons. "We are asking the residents in our police jurisdiction to call us if they see anything suspicious," the statement from the Summit County Sheriff's Office noted.
Community partnership in such cases can prove critical, and Summit County residents have an opportunity to aid in the capture of the arsonist(s) terrorizing their peace of mind and property. The Summit County Sheriff's Office is confident that the public's assistance will help solve these malicious arson cases, "Please call our department at 330-699-6444," iterated the department's post, as it looks to extinguish the threat that has kindled fears in the hearts of the community and sever the chain of destruction left in the wake of the firestarter's path.
