South Dakota Arson Suspect in Van Fires Pleads Not Guilty

A 24-year-old Sioux Falls, S.D., man accused of setting fire to three vans and entering two other vehicles has pleaded not guilty.

The Argus Leader reports that Damon First In Trouble was arrested last month after a grand jury indicted him on charges of second-degree arson, property damage, threatening police officers and criminal vehicle entry.

Police say that after a van caught fire on March 30, they caught First In Trouble nearby with a lighter and black residue on his hands.

Local officials created an arson task force last fall in the wake of more than a dozen vehicle fires. Police officials say the March 30 fires were similar to those from last fall, but First In Trouble has not been charged in any other incidents.