Arson Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Two Ex-Corrections Officers Charged With Setting Fire To Former Governor’s Mansion

Two Beckley men who were employed by the Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation have been arrested in connection with the burning of a former governor’s home.

David W. Cole, 30, and Billy R. Workman Jr., 24, were arrested and charged with first-degree arson and conspiracy for their alleged role in burning down an unoccupied house in Beckley where the state’s former governor, Hulett Smith, once lived. Hulett died in 2012. Gov. Jim Justice’s family currently owns the house.

In a statement, Robert Cunningham, Secretary of the West Virginia Department of Homeland Security, said the men were employees of Southern Regional Jail at the time of their arrests, but their employment has since been terminated.

The Southern Regional Jail has a troubled history. In November 2023, six former corrections officers at the facility were charged by a federal grand jury in connection with the death of an inmate.

The indictment alleges that all six defendants conspired to cover up the use of unlawful force by omitting material information and providing false and misleading information to investigators.

There were 13 reported deaths at the Southern Regional Jail in 2022, and more than 100 deaths in the state’s regional jail system in the past decade.

According to a criminal complaint obtained by West Virginia Public Broadcasting, the Mabscott Fire Department responded to the fire on Oct. 20.

Mabscott Fire Department Chief, Tim Zutaul, made a request for a fire investigation to the West Virginia State Fire Marshal’s Hotline.

Officers assigned to investigate learned Cole was spotted in the vicinity of the fire, leading them to check the surveillance footage at the Go-Mart at 2100 Harper Road in Beckley.

According to the criminal complaint, the footage shows the two men purchasing brake fluid and beer on the night of the fire.

On Oct. 25, Cole was brought into the Raleigh County Sheriff’s Office for a voluntary interview.

Authorities say he confessed to officers that he and Workman entered the structure, but he was the one who poured brake fluid into a styrofoam plate on the floor of the residence and then lit the plate on fire with a lighter he’d brought with him.

The men left the area in Workman’s vehicle but returned to park at a nearby tobacco shop where Cole recorded a video of the fire on his cell phone.

According to a press release, Cole was arrested on the evening of Oct. 25 by officers with the West Virginia State Fire Marshal’s Office. He was arraigned on Oct. 26 in Raleigh County Magistrate Court where his bond was set at $100,000. He remains in custody at the regional jail.

Workman turned himself in to officers on Oct. 28 at Raleigh County Magistrate Court where his bond was set at $100,000. Workman was originally transported to Southern Regional Jail but has since been released on bond.

String Of Suspected Arsons In Hampshire County Leads To Investigation

A string of suspected arson fires in Hampshire County has led to an investigation by the state Fire Marshal’s office.

Five fires happened mostly along Route 50 Thursday evening into Friday morning, all affecting vacant buildings within a 10 mile stretch between Augusta and Capon Bridge.

Two similar fires were reported in the same general area on Oct. 3 and Oct. 4.

Chief investigator Jason Baltic says the investigation points to all of the fires being linked.

“Two of the scenes, we’re able to say that they’re incendiary fires, that they were arson,” Baltic said. “The others, we’re still working on.”

Another site of a potential arson was discovered Friday evening, bringing the total number of potentially linked fires to eight, though investigators are unsure when exactly the fire occurred.

Among the buildings burnt down was Hook’s Tavern, an 18th century building used during the Civil War to house Confederate soldiers. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

No deaths or injuries as a result of the fires have been reported.

The Fire Marshal’s office is currently working with the Hampshire County Sheriff’s Department and the West Virginia Fusion Center in the investigation.

“We’re developing a lot of evidence, putting a lot of things together,” Baltic said. “And hopefully we’ll have an arrest forthcoming.”

Any information about the incidents can be reported to the West Virginia Fire Marshal Hotline at 1-800-233-3473.

W.Va. National Guard Airman Dies In Mutual Aid Structure Fire

The West Virginia State Fire Marshall is investigating two suspicious fires it says are connected in Jefferson County, one of which took the life of West Virginia National Guard senior airman Logan Young. The West Virginia State Police is helping with the investigation.

Young, 30, was fatally injured in the early morning hours of Dec. 27 during a mutual aid response call to the second fire. He joined the West Virginia Air National Guard in 2018 and served as a firefighter in the 167th Civil Engineer Squadron.

He previously enlisted into the United States Air Force in 2011 and served on active duty in the security forces (military police) career field before transitioning into the national guard.

A press release from the West Virginia National Guard said the airwing fire department performs approximately 100 to 150 mutual aid agreement calls each year in the local community.

Mutual aid agreements allow neighboring emergency systems to support nearby communities. West Virginia state code allows for the sharing of “manpower, equipment and supply” through the West Virginia Statewide Mutual Aid Agreement.

“Logan stepped up to defend our country and protect our freedoms and served as a first responder here at home,” said Gov. Jim Justice. “We owe everything we have to brave men and women like him. We will do everything we can to provide support to his family and will never forget his service and sacrifice to this great state and to our great country.”

Young was a combat veteran and had previously deployed to the Middle East in 2014. He was the recipient of the numerous awards and decorations to include the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Service Medal, Air Force Good Conduct Medal and National Defense Service Medal.

He was a resident of Martinsburg, West Virginia, and is survived by his mother, father, brother and fiancée.

Major Gen. James Hoyer, West Virginia Adjutant General said “To lose such a talented and dedicated young Airman is truly a tragedy. Logan was a hero in every sense of the word and lived out the Air Force values of service before self in all that he did, which was on full display at the time of his passing.”

Report any information about the fire to the West Virginia Arson Hotline at (800) 233-3473. There is a reward of up to $20,000 for any information that leads to the arrest and conviction of those responsible.

July 22, 1930: Fayette County's Dun Glen Hotel Destroyed By Arson

On July 22, 1930, one of West Virginia’s most popular—and most notorious—landmarks burned to the ground. On that day, arsonists destroyed the Dun Glen Hotel in Fayette County.

The Dun Glen was opened in 1901 across the New River from the town of Thurmond. Thanks to the coal and railroad industries, money poured in and out of the region. At one point, the town of Thurmond and the surrounding area accounted for almost 20 percent of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway’s revenues, shipping more freight than Cincinnati or Richmond.

The opening night gala at the Dun Glen featured an orchestra from Cincinnati. The hotel was four-and-a-half stories high and had 100 rooms. Alcohol, which was banned in the town of Thurmond, flowed freely at the neighboring Dun Glen. Its reputation as an early 20^th-century party palace added to the hotel’s lore and popularity among big spenders. According to a longstanding legend, the Dun Glen once hosted the longest poker game in history, lasting for 14 years. The burning of the Dun Glen brought a swift demise to one of the wildest places in West Virginia history.