NOLANVILLE, Texas — Willie Lee Williams was arrested without incident and charged with arson for the fire that happened on Horatio St. on September 22. The arrest occurred on the same day.
6 News learned Monday that law enforcement had kept tabs on Williams's vehicle since it was reported in the same area of the November 13 fire in a community still under construction near Warriors Path Road.
After six houses under construction had burned to the ground over several months in an area of Nolanville and Harker Heights, law enforcement needed someone to come forward with a tip. Bell County Fire Marshal Chris Mahlstedt said that's exactly what happened on November 13.
"On Friday the 13th we had the fire on mercer," Mahlstedt said. "We got an eye-witness that observed his vehicle in the neighborhood at the night of that fire."
After that tip, Mahlstedt said the Harker Heights Police department did surveillance on that vehicle and police were already on their way when the vehicle returned to the neighborhood under construction on Warriors Path Road on November 22.
That's when a security guard at the scene saw yet another fire begin.
"We had a witness that saw the vehicle in the area of the neighborhood, they then saw the fire at the address on Haratio, and saw the suspect leaving," Mahlstedt said.
A Harker Heights police officer also saw the fire and he approached and saw the vehicle leaving the scene. Williams was pulled over and arrested soon afterward.
Mahlstedt was not certain Monday if they would have any more suspects in the case but said those witnesses provided the big break they had been needing for a long time.
"It was a huge break that we were able to identify a suspect and catch him, basically in the act, at the Haratio Street fire," Mahlstedt said.
Mahlstedt told 6 News that Williams was only being charged with the Haratio fire at this time. He said that fire was started in the garage of the home under construction but had fortunately died out before it spread to the rest of the partially-constructed home. The fire on Haratio was the seventh partially-constructed home to catch on fire since August of 2020.
Also on KCENTV.com: