It's sobering to think how much destructive power one person can allegedly wield.

It was in the early afternoon of Wednesday, October 19th that the Bottineau County Sheriff's Department began receiving calls of multiple fire sightings in parts of the county as well as neighboring McHenry County. First responders across the region jumped to immediate action to battle these prairie fires as they continued to pop up in unrelated areas.

Air support was critical in apprehending the suspect.

The conflagrations were so widespread it truly did take the effort of multiple responder agencies and community volunteers to take control and avoid a potentially devastating disaster. The Dakotan reports that it was all hands on deck...

The Bottineau County Sheriff’s Office, North Dakota Game and Fish, North Dakota Patrol and Probation, and the U.S. Border Patrol assisted in taking the subject into custody.

Volunteer firefighters that assisted were from the Upham, Glenburn, Maxbass, Newburg, Kramer, and Lansford fire departments, and ambulance crews from Lansford and Upham. There were three pilots who assisted in locating the subject.

McHenry County Sheriff Trey Skager estimates there could be hundreds of thousands of dollars in property damage including crops, farm equipment, and an unoccupied home. No injuries have been reported and law enforcement was quick to locate a subject. KFYR TV reported that a Bottineau County deputy's patrol vehicle caught fire during the pursuit

What could be the motive behind such a reckless arson spree?

More may be discovered this morning as suspect Justin Allen Hanson of Minot will make his initial appearance at a bond hearing in Towner. Here is the full list of charges that Hanson will face in McHenry County

-Endangerment by Fire or Explosion, C felony

-Endangerment by Fire or Explosion, C felony

-Endangerment by Fire or Explosion, C felony

-Reckless endangerment-extreme indifference, C felony

-Reckless endangerment-extreme indifference, C felony

-Reckless endangerment-extreme indifference, C felony

-Fleeing a peace officer-vehicle-fleeing from felony, C felony

-Animal cruelty, C felony

-Criminal mischief-willful-tamper-intentional-more than $10,000, B felony

-Criminal mischief-willful-tamper-intentional-more than $10,000, B felony

-Criminal mischief-willful-tamper-intentional-more than $10,000, B felony

-APC-.08% or greater-1st off, B misdemeanor

The final charge is Actual Physical Control which is curious as one would think officers would have been aware of whether Hanson was in fact driving the vehicle before being arrested. But the intoxication charge is the least of the suspect's worries.

We're all fortunate there were no serious injuries in this unexplainable rampage.

More charges are sure to be filed from other counties and agencies. In these bone-dry circumstances, much of the country is under fire advisories. It's amazing how much power one individual can have.

We are thankful for such dedicated first responders


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