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Investigators Seek Public’s Assistance in Identifying Arson Suspect at Goodwill on Sawdust Road

By: Jimmy Williams/Montgomery County Fire Marshal's Office
| Published 02/18/2022

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THE WOODLANDS, TX -- On February 17th at 4:09 pm, Montgomery County 911 operators received a call reporting a fire at the Goodwill Store located at 501 Sawdust Road. Fire crews arrived on location to find that a fire had started in the back of the store, but had been extinguished by store personnel. Per witness accounts, a customer reported smelling smoke near the dressing rooms and reported it to an employee. When the employee walked over to investigate, he discovered a sweater on fire on a hanging rack surrounded by other clothes. The employee was able to remove the sweater from the rack and extinguish it, but not before the smoke activated the fire alarm system.

When Fire crews arrived, a witness reported seeing a man acting strange in the area prior to the discovery of the fire. MCSO Deputies searched the area but were unable to locate the suspicious person. An MCFMO Fire Investigator responded to the scene and continued the investigation into the cause of the fire.

A review of store surveillance video revealed that a white male subject apparently set the sweater on fire, possibly as a distraction, before fleeing the store with a shopping cart of merchandise during the ensuing evacuation of the store. The suspect is described as a white male, possibly in his late twenties, wearing a blue short sleeve t-shirt, black shorts, and black shoes with white soles. He was also wearing a black buff covering his neck and face.

MCFMO Investigators are seeking the public’s assistance in identifying the suspect in the attached video screenshot. Anyone with information is urged to contact the MCFMO at (936) 538-8288 or Multi-County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-392-STOP (7867)

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