Vehicle Fires In Stafford County Lead To Standoff, Arrest: Police

STAFFORD COUNTY, VA — Authorities investigated a pair of vehicle fires in Stafford County over the weekend. After a joint investigation between fire and police personnel, a 19-year-old man was arrested after he was accused of setting the fires.

No injuries were reported during the blazes, authorities said.

The Stafford County Sheriff's Office identified the suspect as Michael Bowling of Chesapeake. He is charged with two counts of arson involving vehicles, grand larceny, and destroying a vehicle. He is being held without bond at the Rappahannock Regional Jail.

The first fire began around 1:30 a.m. on Saturday in the 100 block of Hamlin Drive in the Grafton Village area. When firefighters arrived on the scene, they found a vehicle engulfed in flames, according to a joint press release from the fire department and the sheriff's office. Crews were able to quickly get the fire under control.

While the firefighters were returning from the call, they found another vehicle on fire in the 600 block of Culpeper Street, authorities said.

Around 1 a.m. on Sunday morning, the sheriff's office received a report of a stolen vehicle on Jett Drive. Deputies found the vehicle abandoned in the area, police said.

A police K-9 tracked the suspect to a home in the 700 block of Jett Street. Deputies arrested the suspect, who they identified as Bowling, after a standoff.

The fire marshal's office and the sheriff's office said more charges are pending and the investigation is still ongoing.