Sheriff: Suspect in pair of suspicious fires was on probation for previous arson conviction

Posted on by Mike Fuhrman

FROM STAFF REPORTS

A western Iredell County man faces two counts of arson in connection with a pair of fires that damaged uninhabited homes on Sunday morning.

Barry Moose Jr.

Sheriff Darren Campbell announced the arrest of  Barry Thomas Moose Jr., 44, of Old Miller Road, Statesville, in a news release. At the time of his arrest, Moose was on probation for Felony Burning of Certain Property and Felony Burning Personal Property, according to the ICSO.

Just before 10 a.m. on Sunday, ICSO personnel were alerted to a structure fire at a vacant residence in the 100 block of Old Miller Road, the sheriff said. When deputies arrived, they determined the house fire was suspicious based on evidence found at the scene, he added.

Detectives with the Criminal Investigations Division along with the Iredell County Fire Marshal’s Office personnel began their investigation into the fire.

The house was unoccupied at the time, and no one was injured.

Several hours later, ICSO deputies responded to a second structure fire at another vacant residence in the 1300 block of Island Ford Road, which is less than a mile away from the first house fire.

After arriving on scene, deputies and fire department personnel were alerted of a suspicious person seen in the area of the house fire, according to the news release. The suspicious person was seen carrying a flashlight and walking through the woods away from the fire.

A perimeter was quickly established by deputies, and ICSO Canine Levi was utilized to attempt to locate the suspicious person.

Canine Levi tracked the suspect and led deputies to a residence on Old Miller Road, which is the home of Barry Thomas Moose Jr. Detectives were familiar with Moose due to his previous history of intentionally burning a vacant home in the area, the sheriff said.

The Iredell County Fire Marshal’s Office determined the cause of both fires to be arson. After collecting evidence from the scenes and interviewing witnesses, detectives identified Moose as the suspect in both cases and obtained arrest warrants for two counts of Felony Burning of an uninhabited building.

Moose was located and arrested on Monday morning.

Moose was transported to the Iredell County Detention Center, where he was served with both warrants and issued a $225,000 secured bond by Magistrate Watkins. Moose was also issued an additional $20,000 secured bond for Felony Probation Violation.

According to the ICSO, the suspect’s criminal history includes the following charges: Felony Burning of Certain Buildings, and Felony Burning of Personal Property.