Juveniles arrested for arson

Two juveniles have been arrested for arson following investigations into two fires set in school bathrooms according to Chief Deputy Tony Bacala.

At about 8:30 a.m., a fire was reported in the bathroom of St. Amant High School where it was determined by Fire Department personnel that someone had set fire to a soap dispenser.  The fire caused minimal damage.

Sheriff’s Office and Fire Marshall investigators responded to the scene and by the time they had arrived, school administrators had identified a 16 year old student as being the person responsible for the fire.  The student was arrested for Aggravated Arson and was placed in the St. James Youth Detention Facility.

In an unrelated case, at 11:04 a.m., a fire was set in a bathroom of Lowery Intermediate School.

The Donaldsonville Fire Department responded to this fire and discovered that someone had set fire to toilet paper rolls and then threw into the area above the ceiling.

Sheriff’s Office and Fire Marshall investigators also responded to the Lowery Intermediate School fire and, as with the St. Amant Fire, a school administrator had identified a 14 year old student as being the person responsible for the fire.  This student was also charged with Aggravated Arson and placed in the St. James Youth Detention Facility.

According to Bacala, these two incidents are unrelated.

Both juveniles will be held in detention pending a 72 hour hearing where a judge will determine if they will remain incarcerated or be released to the custody of their parents.