Case Dismissed Against Ex-Firefighter Accused of Arson in Ark.

Prosecutors have dismissed a case against a former Missouri firefighter accused of intentionally starting fires in Benton County, Ark.

Deputy Prosecutor Drew Ledbetter said there wasn’t sufficient evidence to proceed with a trial against Mark Wade Wolfe, 35, of South West City, Mo. Wolfe had been charged with unlawful burning, a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

Property damage in the fires reportedly set in a 48-hour period in January 2006 was estimated at $40,000.

According to court documents, witnesses saw a white pickup similar to Wolfe’s at several of the fires. When he was arrested, police said there was a two-gallon gas container and a propane torch in the truck bed.

But on July 30, Ledbetter requested that Circuit Court Judge Tom Keith dismiss the case. Prosecutors have a year to refile the case.

Information from: Benton County Daily Record, www.nwanews.com//dailyrecord/.