| Contact Information | Date |
|---|---|
| For Immediate Release Contact: John Campbell 434.220.9070 or 434.989.0665 |
August 14, 2008 VDOF-08023 |
Bedford County Man Convicted of Felony Woods Arson
A 21-year-old Lynch Station man was convicted of felony arson for starting a fire that burned about an acre of woods in Bedford County.
Michael M. Pollard was sentenced to two years in jail (suspended after 30 days served); three years of supervised probation, and restitution to the Virginia Department of Forestry (VDOF) following a plea bargain Tuesday to one Class 6 felony count.
“We’re very pleased with the outcome,” said Todd Kready, VDOF forester in Bedford County. “It’s the culmination of a year-long probe by a number of VDOF investigators and the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office in Bedford.”
Kready responded to a wildland fire the evening of Feb. 28, 2008. While working to suppress the fire, he spotted a footprint, called the VDOF bloodhound team and stayed all night at the site to ensure the crime scene didn’t get contaminated. When the tracking team arrived the next morning from far Southwest Virginia, the bloodhound followed the scent directly to the front door of Pollard’s home. Pollard was interviewed by a VDOF investigator and subsequently confessed to starting that fire and another that burned about ¼ of an acre.
Pollard was charged with two Class 6 felony counts and faced up to five years in prison on each count. At the court’s discretion, he could have received up to a year in prison and/or a fine of not more than $2,500 on each count.
“The Lynch Station area had experienced a number of suspicious fires during the previous 12 months,” Kready said. “Being able to track this suspect and have him confess to two woods fires meant that he would not be able to threaten the lives and property of other Bedford County residents.”
State Forester Carl Garrison said, “The VDOF law enforcement officers involved in this case demonstrated their commitment to protecting the citizens of Virginia. Their hard work, persistence and dedication led directly to the arrest and conviction of Mr. Pollard.”
In addition to Kready, VDOF officials who were involved in the probe included a handler from Lee County; his bloodhound, Roxie; forestry technicians from Carroll County, Rockbridge County and Mecklenburg County, and a handler from Mecklenburg and his bloodhound, Summer.
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The Virginia Department of Forestry protects and develops healthy, sustainable forest resources for Virginians. Headquartered in Charlottesville, there are Forestry staff members assigned to every county to provide service to citizens of the Commonwealth. VDOF is an equal opportunity provider.
With nearly 16 million acres of forest land and more than 184,000 Virginians employed in forestry, forest products and related industries, Virginia forests provide more than $29 Billion annually in benefits to the Commonwealth.
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