The "Lone Wolf" arsonist, who claimed responsibility for fires in both Denver, Colorado and Salt Lake, has been caught. He was arrested Thursday night in Denver by special agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
They say Lone Wolf is actually 34 year old Walter Bond. What's more, they say he also already admitted to using the nickname and even setting the fires. For now, he is accused only of the arson fire last April in Glendale, Colorado that destroyed the Sheepskin Factory store. Those allegations will be brought before a Federal Grand Jury.
Here in Utah, Bond is now believed responsible for 2 other fires: one at the Leather Factory on State Street in Salt Lake City in May and another fire earlier this month at the Tiburon Restaurant in Sandy.
Someone calling themselves Lone Wolf emailed ABC 4 following the Tiburon fire to claim responsibility. The email read in part, "The ALF (Animal Liberation Front) is watching and there is nowhere to hide ... animals exist for there (sic) own purposes, not human ends. go vegan! "
Initially fire investigators were skeptical of the connection. But no more. Scott Freitag of the Salt Lake City Fire Department said, "We believe, based on the information provided by the ATF, that it is the same individual." He said Salt Lake and Sandy may be sending investigators to Denver to interview Bond. "We understand that somebody is upset with what these businesses do. we get that," said Freitag. "But this isn't the way to go to try and get your message out there by putting other people's lives at risk."
"Terrorism in the name of animal rights is every bit as dangerous and destructive as the other threats facing our country today," said Marvin Richardson, who is the AFT Special Agent in Charge in Denver. "The actions of Mr.. Bond resulted in significant property damage and worse, could have resulted in the loss of life."
Bond's arrest is a relief to the folks at both the Tiburon Restaurant and The Leather Factory. Even as they were preparing their leather store to reopen, Sherry Ramirez, the store manager, said they feared another attack. "This is the 2nd store I've worked at that has been fire bombed by the same organization. Now I don't have to sleep down here tomorrow night and keep guard," she said with a laugh.
The Tiburon opened quickly after it's fire. The Leather Factory took about two months. It's grand re-opening is Saturday, July 24th. Ramirez said, "Tell our customers we're back. we're happy to be back... and we'd love to have them."
If convicted on federal arson charges, Bond faces five-to-20 years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine. |
