The Urbana Fire Department along with the the Urbana Police Division since Sept. 6 have investigated five different fires set at the back of the Douglas building on Monument Square. The most recent was in the early hours of Saturday morning.
Urbana Police Chief Matt Lingrell said in a media release that after Saturday’s fire, officers continued to watch the area and saw the suspect, later identified as Bidwell, come back to the scene and try to manipulate surveillance cameras placed in the area.
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Bidwell was arrested after a short foot chase.
Police say information that Bidwell told them links him to at least two of the fires.
Officers also took in several pieces of evidence from Bidwell’s house.
It’s possible that more charges may be coming.
“Police and fire officials are thankful that no one was physically injured during these arson fires,” the media release from Lingrell states. “We are also appreciative of the patience and support given to us, especially by the building owner and other downtown business owners who provided us with information that helped us along the way to finally have success as we sought to identify the person responsible for these arson fires.”
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