At 12:45 a.m. this morning, Bellevue Police and Fire responded to reports of several dumpster fires in the area of the 14700 block of NE 20th Street in Bellevue. Officers arrived in the area and located several dumpsters in the area that were burning. Approximately 12 dumpsters had been lit on fire in Bellevue and an additional 10-12 dumpsters in Redmond. Bellevue Fire responded and extinguished the fires. Officers began canvassing the area for further fires as well as anyone who could possibly be a suspect or a witness to the crimes. A responding Officer located a witness who stated that he believed that the subject who was responsible for the fires was in the area. A helicopter from the King County Sheriff’s Office responded to assist, and located the suspect nearby in a wooded area. Bellevue Police Officers responded and ultimately arrested the suspect, a 56-year-old homeless man, for criminal trespass and second degree arson. The suspect was interviewed by Bellevue Detectives and later booked into jail. No structures were damaged other than the dumpsters, and there were no injuries.
Bellevue Beat Blog 