Troopers begin checkpoints to find arsonist

ACCOMACK CO., Va. (WAVY) - State troopers, sheriff's deputies and local police will conduct traffic checkpoints in Accomack County for the next five nights to help find those responsible for 64 fires in the county since November.

Special Coverage: Eastern Shore Arsons

Uniformed law enforcement personnel will be on patrol and conducting informational gathering checkpoints at random locations around the county. On Friday night, 140 law enforcement officers conducted five checkpoints. WAVY.com has learned the checkpoints will continue into the early morning hours each night of the effort.

Troopers will be handing out fliers featuring the McCormack County Arson Tip Line and reward information, as well as soliciting any information or concerns motorists may have concerning the fires, said State Police spokeswoman Corinne Geller.

The latest arson occurred early Friday morning in the 28,500 block of Saxis Road in Temperanceville , when an abandoned, two-story residential structure was set on fire, Geller said.

"This is just another investigative resource the law enforcement agencies on the Eastern Shore are putting forth in our dedicated efforts to solving and stopping these fires," said Capt. Tim Reibel, Commander of the Bureau of Criminal Investigation's Chesapeake Field Office. "We have the Tip Line and appreciate the more than 100 calls, texts, and emails we have received so far, but we also want to make ourselves as available as possible to the public to share with us any information, suspicions or concerns they may have."

Geller says State Police also believe some of the arsons were done by copycats, or a collaboration of individuals. Investigators plan to put billboard along Route 13 in Accomack County to generate more tips on the arsons.

Anyone with information about the arsons or individual(s) responsible should contact law enforcement via a Tip Line dedicated to these investigations. Text, call or email at 757-655-1437 .

Persons coming forward with information that leads to an arrest and conviction in these cases could be eligible for a reward of up to $25,000.

Other agencies helping the Virginia State Police include the Accomack County Sheriff's Office, Chincoteague Police Department, Eastville Police Department, Onancock Police Department, Onley Police Department, Northampton County Sheriff's Office, Worcester County, Md., Sheriff's Office, and Virginia Marine Resources Commission Police.