Two promising young skateboarders from Yakima County, Washington have been arrested and charged in connection with a string of arson fires. Investigators are now trying to determine if another arson fire, set just days after the two suspects were arrested, is connected to the young men’s skating group, identified in court documents as the "Mayday-Mob."
"It’s kind of coincidental that early this morning we have a fire and they made two arrests earlier during the week. So I think there's still more to come," West Valley Fire Chief Dave Leitch said in a March 30 interview with KNDO.com.
According to the Yakima County Sheriff's Office, the previous arson cases, dating back to April 2006, caused nearly $100,000 in damages. Investigators said they began investigating the two teens, identified in court documents as Nicholas Heilman, 18, and Eric Protsman, 19, after an informant came forward and identified them as the arsonists.
Last week Heilman was arraigned on five counts of second-degree arson for fires set between April 2006 and October 2007. Days later, Protsman was charged with one count of second-degree arson.
According to the police affidavit, Heilman and possibly other members of the Mayday-Mob (who have been identified in court documents but have not yet been arrested) allegedly set fire to 1,800 wooden fruit bins at1400 Gordon Road on Aug. 27, 2007. The damage has been estimated at $76,863.
Other fires Heilman and possibly others are suspected of committing include an April 2006 blaze that destroyed 50 feet of shrubbery and a fence at 1624 S. 10th Ave., an Aug. 26, 2007 fire that destroyed a row of shrubs at 607 N. 58th Ave., a second fire that same day that destroyed shrubs at Robertson Elementary School, an Oct. 6, 2007 fire that damaged a power pole and destroyed a row of shrubs, and the Oct. 31, 2007 firebombing of a motor vehicle at 603 S. 10th Ave.
