Female Arrested for Burning of Billboard Sign
SOMERSET COUNTY, April 15, 2017 - Investigators from the Maryland State Fire Marshal's Office and the Princess Anne Police Department have concluded a fire investigation which has lead to the arrest of a female. The fire, which occurred on April 14, 2017 around 2:51 pm, damaged a billboard sign in the area of 12138 Carol Lane in Princess Anne of Somerset County. The billboard was owned by Robert Wink and located in the nearby shopping center. Investigation revealed unknown suspect(s) intentionally set the billboard on fire due to political differences with the billboard postings, and caused approximately $800 in damages. The Princess Anne Fire Department responded to the fire after a passer-by called 911, and extinguished the fire within a few minutes.
The investigation developed D'Asia R. Perry (19) of Baltimore as a suspect. Perry was identified as the driver of the vehicle involved in the incident. She was located on the campus of University of Maryland Eastern Shore and taken into custody. Subsequently, Perry has been charged with Second Degree Arson, four counts of Second Degree Malicious Burning, six counts of Second Degree Malicious Destruction of Property, Trespassing, Obstruction & Hindering, and the Commission of a Hate Crime. Perry was taken to the Somerset County Commissioner and later released on a $20,000 unsecured bond.
Investigators are looking for more information in reference to a second suspect involved in the incident. The second suspect was seen with Perry in a vehicle identified as a newer model silver, Volkswagen Bettle. Anyone with any information in reference to this incident is asked to call the State Fire Marshal's Office at 410-713-3780 or the Arson Hotline at 1-800-492-7529. All callers may remain anonymous.
The
Office of the State Fire Marshal is an agency of the Department of
State Police dedicated to helping protect citizens from fire and
explosion through a comprehensive program of education,
inspection, investigation and fire protection engineering. For more
information on fire safety call 1-800-525-3124, log onto our website at: Maryland State Fire Marshal and/or our Facebook Page.
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