Third man arrested in Maui fire
The blaze at a country club caused more than $1 million in damage
Maui police have arrested a man for allegedly setting a fire with two others, causing more than $1 million in damages to the Pukalani Country Club.
Police have identified him as Dayton Valoroso, 18, of Haiku, who graduated from King Kekaulike High School in Makawao last year. The two other suspects, Maxwell Webster and Richard Acorda, both 18, were arrested earlier. They are seniors at the school.
All three are charged with criminal property damage in the first degree, police Lt. John Jakubczak said. The charge carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.
A surveillance camera videotaped the three as they started the fire. It also shows that the fire began earlier than previously thought, about 2:30 a.m., Jakubczak said. Firefighters responded around 5 a.m.
The tape also appears to show that the three did not intend to cause as much damage as they did, he said.
The tape shows the suspects removed a golf cart from a covered area, pushed it away from buildings, set it on fire with what appears to be a can of gasoline and then drove away, Jakubczak said.
But the law describing criminal property damage in the first degree does not talk about a suspect's intentions, only that the resulting damage is more than $20,000.
The fire caused about $550,000 damage to the clubhouse, restaurant and golf cart storage areas, plus $500,000 damage to the buildings' contents, including about a third of the 100 gasoline-powered golf carts.
The tape was clear enough that police were able to use it to locate the suspects' vehicle and identify the clothing they were wearing, Jakubczak said.
The three suspects are being held in lieu of $50,000 bail each.
Deputy Prosecutor John Tam said the three could be arraigned today in Wailuku District Court, but as of yesterday afternoon, he hadn't received all the paperwork necessary for a court appearance.
Jakubczak said police looked into the possibility that the fire was related to other unsolved fires, but they found no connection.