A North Platte man is in custody, accused of intentionally setting a home, that was being used as storage, on fire.
On Monday night, the North Platte Fire Department responded to the report of a structure fire in the 600 block of East 5th Street. Officials say the home was unoccupied and was being used as storage by Andersen and Sons NAPA, which sits directly south of the house.
Once the fire was extinguished, officers began interviewing potential witnesses.
According to Investigator John Deal, an officer spoke to a neighbor who said they had seen a shirtless man standing just outside the fence, near the back door, at the time of the fire. Deal says it was discovered that the back door had been forcibly opened.
Additionally, Deal said it had rained that night and investigators discovered shoe prints in the area where the man was reportedly standing.
The owners were contacted and responded to the scene. They told officers that, a few months ago, an employee, identified as 41-year-old Wade Wolf, had gotten upset and quit. The owners said that Wolf had been inside the house during his employment and was familiar with its contents, which included a set of valve covers that Wolf allegedly wanted.
The owners said he was not allowed to have or buy the valve covers, and this was one of the reasons that he had gotten upset.
Because the residence was unoccupied, Deal says the owners had installed motion cameras, which were still in operation at the time of the alleged arson.
Officers reviewed the footage and observed a man they say looked like Wolf pouring liquid on the floor of the residence and setting it on fire.
The videos also allegedly show Wolf carrying what appears to be valve covers, which were missing.
Investigators determined that there was probable cause to arrest Wolfe and, on September 6, an investigator located him and placed him under arrest.
He was jailed at the Lincoln County Detention Center on charges of felony burglary and felony arson to a business.
His bond has been set at ten percent of $100,000.