The Virginia Department of Forestry (VDOF) has increased the reward – from ,000 to ,000 – for information leading to the conviction of the person or persons responsible for setting fire to the agency’s fire dozer transport vehicle in September of last year. The 2007 Sterling transport vehicle was a total loss.
The vehicle was parked September 11th 2009 on private land, near the intersection of Sontag Road and Goode Mountain Road approximately eight miles southeast of Rocky Mount, Va., in preparation for a prescribed burn that was to take place September 14th. On September 12th, VDOF officials were contacted by the landowner that the transport vehicle was burned by an arsonist.
“Unless this arsonist is brought to justice, the taxpayers of the Commonwealth of Virginia will have to pay for the loss of this valuable firefighting equipment,” said Ed Stoots, VDOF regional forester in Salem. “The person or people responsible for this criminal activity should be held responsible for the damage they caused and the increased risk of danger from wildfire in which they’ve put their families, friends and neighbors.”
Law enforcement officers from the Virginia State Police (VSP) and the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office are investigating the crime. Anyone with information is asked to contact Special Agent Garland Snead of the VSP at 540.375.9547; David Edwards of the VDOF at 276.236.2322, or Ed Stoots at 540.387.5461, Ext. 229.