EVERETT, Wash. — This story initially appeared on MyNorthwest.com
Surveillance video has helped Everett police arrest a 26-year-old transient man accused of setting a fire in the 1900 block of Lombard Street early Wednesday morning.
Joseph Smiley now faces charges of arson after a fire completely destroyed a home and caused extensive damage to neighboring properties.
Investigators say the surveillance footage shows Smiley inside a home under construction moments before the building erupted in flames shortly before 1 a.m.
Police say they arrested Smiley just blocks from the fire, noting he was wearing the same clothes as seen in the security video.
Records show that this is Smiley’s 34th arrest, and he has a long criminal history, including three felony convictions and 20 gross misdemeanors. Smiley had been released from prison in November, and was arrested again that same month and in January.
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Court documents indicate that Smiley admitted to having a lighter at the construction site, but denied entering the home, despite the video allegedly showing otherwise. Investigators suspect he intentionally set fire to a garbage can filled with plastic pipe fittings inside the structure.
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