Posted on 06/11/2022 6:40:40 AM PDT by beaversmom
A Spokane woman admitted she started the fire that caused several million dollars in damage to the north Spokane Home Depot two weeks ago, according to court documents.
Kennie A. Calvert, 59, was arrested in an unrelated incident Sunday at the Spokane Valley Home Depot for suspicion of shoplifting. She told police she started the fire as a distraction so she could steal a six-pack of paper towels, a bag of Miracle-Gro, a roll of black wire and a potted plant, according to a search warrant document filed Wednesday in Spokane County District Court.
She was arrested on charges of first-degree arson and remained in the Spokane County Jail on Wednesday on a $100,000 bond.
The fire erupted into 25-foot flames that would have destroyed the building, 9116 N. Newport Highway, if not for the home improvement store's sprinkler system, Spokane Fire Department Chief Brian Schaeffer said last month.
The fire was reported around 9:20 p.m. May 19. Schaeffer said the first fire company arrived within three minutes, and it took about an hour to get the fire under control.
According to the court documents, Spokane Fire Arson Investigator Tom Oliver determined the fire started in Aisle 2 . The aisle contains a variety of outdoor power equipment as well as the fuel supplies to power the equipment.
Oliver found a metal container of TruFuel on the floor next to the point of origin of the fire. TruFuel is fuel made for two-cycle engines, court records said.
As Calvert comes back into the store camera's view around 9:22 p.m., she "casually" informed two employees of the fire, documents said. At that point, Calvert appeared to have a BIC lighter in her hand that she accidentally dropped and picked up.
She then "casually" left the store with the stolen items in the cart. Calvert and the other man involved reportedly loaded the stolen items from the cart into the bed of the truck they arrived in before driving away.
Calvert made her first court appearance Tuesday and is scheduled for an arraignment next Tuesday in front of Spokane County Superior Court Judge Tony Hazel.
Calvert has 21 felony convictions, including possession of a controlled substance, forgery, identity theft and taking a vehicle without permission. Four of her seven gross misdemeanor convictions were third-degree theft.
When does the Mayor of Spokane give her the keys to the city? Should be a lovely ceremony.
She should have come to California - where she could shoplift to her heart’s content - as long as her “purchases” were under $950.
She wouldn’t have even had to set fire to the place - and could come back repeatedly, as many days as she liked to shoplift, just as long as she kept it under $950/day - until Home Depot closed its doors.
Wow. I’d be pissed if I was trying to get a plumbing part to fix a leak. She’s frickin nuts and needs to be removed from society. She’ll do something else like that for sure.
Wow! She did that for a 6 pack of paper towels, a box of miracle grow, and a potted plant.
She gives nut bags a bad name.
That was exactly my thought.
If that ain’t a man….😵💫
Does it really matter? 😋
Likes fires eh? Tie her to a pole, put wood and brush about it, and lite it up. I detest bombers and arsonists.
Looks like Frank Gallagher….
Thanks. I think I’ll skip breakfast 😵💫
Guilty
She looks like a female Smeagol (Gollum).
LOL! No, I guess not!
Yup, sad.
Perp Photo:
I’d bet she has no teeth, is probably a Meth Head.
She looks like a guy we used to call wingnut.
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