Homeless man arrested for arson

TOLEDO, Ohio (WUPW) - Henry Lee Jackson, a 43-year-old homeless man, was arrested shortly after he alleged started a suspicious fire in the city's Old South End.

Jackson was charged with aggravated arson after allegedly starting a house fire on Thayer Street at arund 10 a.m., which is located between Broadway Street and South Avenue.

Toledo fire arson investigators are trying to determine if he is responsible for any of the other arson fires in the city since the beginning of the year.

According to police and fire, Jackson was seen running between nearby homes after the fire roared to life on Thayer Street.

Fire Chief Mike Wolever said as soon as firefighters were about to get into the home and extinguish the flames, firemen said Thursday's arson was intentionally set.

Arson investigators don't know the motive behind the fire, but believe Jackson isn't the only firebug working the city.

A task force made up of members of the police and fire departments and the Toledo police gang unit is investigating the fires.

Police Chief Mike Navarre is not ruling anything out.

Jackson, who appeared in municipal court Friday but was not arraigned, had been living in a vacant house in one of the neighborhoods plagued by the fires, Chief Navarre said.

A $25,000 reward is still up for grabs for information helping them bust an arsonist. If you know anything, call Crimestopper at 419-255-1111.

If it weren't for neighbors, police might not have caught up with the arson suspect.

Neighbors called 9-1-1 to alert them of the arson suspect, which lead to the arrest.

"I was drinking a pop, smoking a cigarette, and I seen a guy come between the houses," recalled Tausha Ybarra, witness to alleged arson. "He asked me where Dunwood was, so I told him."

Moments later, Ybarra smelled smoke, a first, thinking it was a cigarette. It was the house on Thayer starting to go up in flames.

"I call 9-1-1 and my boyfriend takes off and chases him," Ybarra said.

Police caught up with Jackson and took him to the safety building for questioning.

"He did it, I know he did it, because my dogs were barking and there was somebody back there but I couldn't see nobody," Ybarra said. "I just hope they really punish this guy because he could of seriously hurt me and my family and my neighbors."

Ybarra was worried that she even got her family out of the house in fear the fire would spread.

Jackson was arraigned in Toledo Municipal Court Friday on an aggravated arson charge.