
WAHPETON, ND.. (KFGO) – Arson is the cause of a fire that caused moderate damage to the lobby of the Richland County Law Enforcement Center in Wahpeton Tuesday night. The rest of the building was filled with smoke. Sheriff Larry Leshovsky said the fire was set.
He said some type of device was used based on a review of surveillance video. A person who entered the lobby was seen on video. He placed the device, lit it, and ran, “whatever the intent.”
Leshovsky said it’s difficult to identify the device that held the material set on fire. It was taken to the ATF lab for examination. Authorities also have video footage of the man but have not said if the person could be identified
A search of the area immediately after the fire failed to turn up the suspect. Fifteen inmates were transported by bus to jails in Cass County and Barnes County as a precaution. They will be returned to the jail in Wahpeton. ATF and the BCI are assisting the Richland County Sheriff’s Office in the investigation.
ORIGINAL STORY:
WAHPETON, N.D. (KFGO) – Authorities are seeking the person who entered the lobby of the Richland County Law Enforcement Center in Wahpeton who is suspected of setting a fire in the lobby. It happened around 9:30 p.m. Tuesday.
There was moderate damage to the lobby area and smoke throughout the building. For safety, all inmates were removed from the corrections center to a secure area, and arrangements were then made to transfer the prisoners to other jails in Cass and Barnes Counties as a precaution.
Sheriff Larry Leshovsky says searches of the law enforcement center, courthouse, and surrounding area for the suspect were done immediately for any trace of the person believed to have set the fire.
The Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, State Bureau of Investigation, and the Richland County Sheriff’s Office are handling the case.
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