ADEL, Iowa — Three Adel teenagers were arrested Thursday on Dallas County warrants in connection with the May 12 fire that severely damaged a bridge on the Raccoon River Valley Trail.
Ezra David Coulter, 19, of 115 S. 15th St., Adel, was charged with reckless use of fire, first-degree criminal mischief and trespassing causing damage over $300.
Leola Marie Pierce, 19, of 115 S. 15th St., Adel, was charged with reckless use of fire, first-degree criminal mischief and trespassing causing damage over $300.
Daniel Alan Sheeder, 19, of 46 River Vista Dr., Adel, was charged with second-degree arson, first-degree criminal mischief and trespassing causing damage over $300.
According to a statement issued Thursday by the Dallas County Sheriff’s office, detectives “determined that the three individuals unlawfully entered an area beneath the bridge by bypassing a locked chain-link fence. Once under the structure, they started an uncontained fire and continued adding wood, causing the fire to grow significantly.”
According to court records, the suspects allegedly “gathered sticks and branches to build a fire. Coulter and Sheeder constructed a shallow, unlined fire pit under the eastern portion of the bridge near the fourth or fifth bridge section east of the Raccoon River bank. Sheeder ignited the fire using cotton balls and a lighter. The pit lacked any proper containment features, such as rocks or a fire ring. Law enforcement estimated the wooden bridge deck was approximately fifteen feet above the fire.”
The rising fire eventually ignited the bridge. The suspects tried to extinguish and “retrieved fire extinguishers from Pierce’s apartment” on 16th Street, but their efforts failed, according to court records.
“None of them contacted emergency services, later admitting they were afraid of being arrested,” according to court records.
The estimated cost to replace the damaged bridge is about $896,000, according to the Dallas County Conservation Department.
Coulter, Pierce and Sheeder are held in the Dallas County Jail in advance of an initial appearance in Dallas County District Court.
*A criminal charge is merely an accusation, the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
