Arson suspect caught, goes to court hearing

— By PATRIC FLANNIGAN

Staff writer

The Ouachita County Sheriff’s Department and the Chidester Volunteer Fire released more details regarding the arrest of a man who allegedly burned down homes in the White Oak Lake area and even shot inside one of the residences.

Shane Edward Suttle was taken into custody Tuesday morning after law enforcement issued a statement that Suttle was being sought for the arsons and shooting.

OCSD Detective Nathan Greeley stated that the deputies were dispatched to the White Oak area for a report of three structure fires around 1 a.m. on Tuesday. Greeley said that the homes were weekend get-aways for a police officer with the El Dorado Police Department, and that the officer had security devices around his home that popped up on his phone whenever they made motion contact.

According to the officer/owner of the property, the video showed a man with a rifle and an ax forcing his way inside of one of the houses, lighting something on fire, and then the house becoming fully engulfed in flames. Greeley said that the officer had more security devices on the other two properties that were burned.

One home was directly across from Suttle’s house, and the other two homes were on the sides of Suttle’s home.

“Prior to that, there was a reported call of a man driving an early 2000 model white Ford pickup truck that pulled up to a residence and shot several rounds inside a house,” Greeley shared. “No one was hurt or injured, but the deputies were unable to locate anybody. Come to find out, it was the same vehicle Suttle was driving.”

Greeley also stated that after the fires were extinguished, deputies obtained a search warrant for Suttle’s home that was executed around 10 a.m. Tuesday. The department then received an anonymous call regarding Suttle’s whereabouts, deputies from Ouachita and Nevada County responded to that location, and Suttle was arrested.

He is being charged with three counts of felony arson, three counts of county residential burglary, one count of committing a terroristic act, one count of terroristic threatening and aggravated assault.

Suttle made his first appearance in court Wednesday where his bond was set at $250,000.

Greeley stated that the clothes the suspect wore in the video and the same caliber ammunition from the home that was shot at were both found at Suttle’s home. He also added that a neighbor that confronted Suttle identified him.

“While this was going on, the police officer called one of his neighbors and asked him to see what was going on,” said Greeley. “The neighbor said that they went up to confront Suttle and ask him what was going on, and Suttle responded by saying ‘I will blow your (expletive) brains out.’ The neighbor identified the suspect as Shane Suttle, too.”

Chidester Fire Department Chief Jason Purifoy said the Chidester Fire Department and the Upper White Oak Lake Fire Department reported to the scene of the fires at around 1 a.m. and worked to subdue the fire until 6 a.m. Greeley said that no one was injured, but the homes did appear total losses.

When asked if any motive had been given as to why the homes were burned, Greeley said there wasn’t one.

“At this point, we don’t know why,” Greeley said. “The neighbor across the street thought they (he and Suttle) were pretty good friends.”

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