Reward Increased For New Castle Arsonist Arrest

Neighbors and community leaders met Monday night in New Castle, to develop an action plan to stop an arsonist.

There have been 12 suspicious fires over the past six months in New Castle.

Hunter Davis' house was the last to be torched.

"Most of the time they were burning abandoned houses. Like my neighbor said, I'm always gone, maybe they didn't think anyone was there," Davis said.

Neighbors met with the mayor and fire chief to find out what they can do to stop the arsonist.

They focused on curfews, patrols and vacant houses.

The mayor told the group the city has been approved for a $100,000 grant to demolish abandoned homes.

There are 10 homes already on the list.

"We have absentee owners who live in Florida, California, Kentucky, Bermuda. They're not maintaining the properties," said Mayor Anthony Mastangelo.

A $3,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest.

Previous Stories: June 4, 2009: Dozens Of Fires Lead To Arson Alert In New Castle May 24, 2009: Suspicious Fires Destroy New Castle Homes