By Patti Weaver
(Stillwater, Okla.) — A 48-year-old Cushing man, who allegedly admitted setting fires in both of his brother’s trucks, has been ordered to appear in court with an attorney on Aug. 20 on two felony counts of third-degree arson.
If convicted of starting both fires in the 1400 block of E. Maple in Cushing, Kenny Jones, who has also been known as Kenneth Wayne Jones Jr., could be given a 30-year prison term plus a $20,000 fine. Jones was released from the Payne County Jail on $10,000 bail two days after his arrest, court records show.
Cushing Deputy Fire Chief Daniel Myers, who is a commissioned police officer and a fire investigator, arrested Jones on July 20 at 9:47 pm, about 40 minutes after he was called to a vehicle fire, according to his affidavit.
“The driver’s seat area of both vehicles had been burned and there was a strong odor of an ignitable liquid, that in my experience as a fire investigator, smelled like gasoline. I spoke with several witnesses who witnessed Kenny Jones set the fires and saw him carrying a gas can. I was also provided home security video from a neighbor across the street showing Kenny carrying a gas can through his yard,” the fire investigator alleged in his affidavit.
After the fire investigator was given consent to search the defendant’s residence, “The black hoodie he was wearing when he started the fires was found on the couch in the living room. I also located the gas can that contained the accelerant that was used to start the fires in a detached garage,” Myers alleged in his affidavit.
The next day, “Payne County Sheriff’s Office Investigator Brandon Myers and I interviewed Kenny at the Cushing Police Department. Kenny admitted to setting the fires in both trucks. He told us that he opened the doors and splashed gasoline in them and set them on fire using a candle lighter. He told us that he set the fires because he was mad at his brother,” the fire investigator alleged in his affidavit.
