THREE
ARRESTED IN LIBRARY ARSON
Three
Clearwater teenagers were charged with multiple felonies early
today, stemming from their involvement in the July 16 arson fire
at the North Greenwood Branch Library that caused as much as $100,000
damage, Police Chief Sid Klein announced.
The
three suspects - an 18-year-old adult and two juveniles, ages
16 and 17 - were charged with the pre-dawn burglary and fire that
caused extensive damage to the satellite library.
Arrested
were Leander Showers (07-04-82) of 802 Jefferson Avenue, Larry
Eugene Miles (03-08-84) of 802 Jefferson Avenue and Shaun Eric
Seymour (11-11-82) of 807 Jefferson Avenue. Showers, charged with
First-Degree Burglary, Arson and Manufacture of a Fire Bomb, was
booked into the Pinellas County Jail shortly after midnight.
Miles
was charged with Burglary and Arson and Seymour was charged with
Burglary and Manufacture of a Fire Bomb; they were taken to the
Pinellas County Juvenile Detention Center.
According
to case agent Detective John Diebel, the three teenagers admitted
to the burglary and to starting the 2:30 a.m. Sunday fire at the
1250 Palmetto Street library. The fire was contained to the center
of the library’s main room, and no one was injured. The building
is expected to be closed for several weeks until repairs are made
to the structure and contents.
Detective
Diebel and Detective Mark Weaver - in examining the evidence and
other circumstances surrounding Sunday morning’s fire - developed
the three teens as possible suspects when they discovered the
youths had been admonished and asked to leave the library last
September after viewing pornographic sites on the library’s computers.
Shortly after the three were ejected from the library, someone
threw a rock through a library window. No one was charged in that
case.
Late
Wednesday (July 19), Detective Diebel interviewed the three teens.
A
specially trained arson dog established several points of origin
for the library fire and determined that a fluid - possibly kerosene
- had been spread around the library, and some of it ignited.
The fluid-filled bottle, however, failed to ignite.
This
is the extent of information available regarding this case. For
further information, please contact Public Information Officer
Wayne Shelor
at 727-562-4333.
/s/
SID KLEIN
Chief of Police