Austin Police Arrest Accused Greenbelt Arsonist

AUSTIN, TX — A suspect in a series of fires at the Barton Creek Greenbelt stopped allegedly setting the blazes only after he ran out of lighter fluid, according to a published report.

Daniel Alexander Daugherty, 37, is now facing multiple counts of arson, according to jail records. Austin Fire Department investigators responded to the first greenbelt fire just before 8:35 a.m. on Thursday near a home along the 1900 block of Glencliff Drive in the Barton Hills neighborhood in South Austin, according to an arrest affidavit referenced by the Austin American-Statesman.

Less than two hours later, firefighters responded to a second fire near the 2900 block of Barton Skyway, according to the report. Two more greenbelt fires were reported after 12:35 a.m. behind Spyglass Drive, the report detailed. And then by 1 p.m., four more greenbelt fires were reported behind Tether Trail.

"I think I am out of lighter fluid," Daugherty is said to have told a witness, according to the report.

Once police caught up to Daugherty, he initially denied having set the fires. But after agreeing to a search of his belongings, police found three lighters on him, according to the report. Moreover, a police canine detected fire accelerants on the man's backpack, according to the affidavit.

Daugherty remained at the Travis County Jail on Saturday facing nine counts of arson. His bail has been set at $100,000.

>>> Read the full story at Austin American-Statesman

Daniel Alexander Daugherty booking photo via Travis County Jail records