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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Lost in the flames: More than 1,600 arsons scar Flint's landscape
Arson in Flint
Dominic Adams | dadams5@mlive.com By Dominic Adams | dadams5@mlive.com The Flint Journal
on March 25, 2013 at 5:50 AM, updated March 25, 2013 at 2:54 PM Print
FLINT, MI -- William Iser waits and wonders: Will his home be next?
He watched as his street slowly became a shell of what it was. Firefighters were called to Dakota Street 31 times in five years to battle fires set in nearby vacant homes.
There is almost nothing left of the neighborhood, except fields where homes once stood and the lucky few remaining.
"That's the thing that kind of upsets me is that it seems to be a crime that's OK," Iser said.
Flint is burning.
And has been for several years.
With no signs of slowing.
The city leads the nation in per capita arsons, among cities with populations of 100,000 or more. The city has held the dubious No. 1 ranking for arsons for two years and it appears destined to retain the crown for a third year based on the 352 suspicious fires recorded in 2012.
It's even worse than those startling statistics imply, though.
Second place went to Toledo -- and our arson rate is more than 50 percent higher. We also logged more than 100 more arsons than Baton Rouge, La., despite that city being more than twice as populous as Flint.
A Flint Journal analysis shows there were 1,631 fires to vacant buildings from 2008-2012 -- fires that in some cases aren't included in the city's overall arson tallies if they aren't investigated by police.
“It has really destroyed the fabric of the communities,” said the Genesee County Historical Society's Dave White.
Fires have become an everyday occurrence and have reshaped the landscape of several neighborhoods, especially the east side. Jane Avenue has been the hardest hit with 46 suspicious vacant fires in the last five years.
"They burned the whole one side of Jane," said Christina Brackins, who lives on Dakota Avenue. "It's nothing but fields now."
There is a certain ferociousness -- or determination, perhaps -- to these fires.
More than 400 vacant homes burned more than once, according to the MLive-Flint Journal analysis of Flint Fire Department records. One on West Second Avenue burned nine times before it was finally razed last year.
"When we were dispatched to certain addresses we would just shake our heads,” said recently retired Battalion Chief Andy Graves. “Many times these repeated fires at the same location also repeatedly threatened neighboring occupied homes."
The problem has gotten so bad that the city developed a policy for fighting fires inside vacant buildings. If there isn’t anyone inside, firefighters essentially just let the home burn -- working only to prevent the fire from spreading to other homes or property.
In a city where 26 percent of its housing stock is vacant, Flint officials have a list of properties for demolition but residents have no guarantees how long a torched house will stand after a fire.
City officials said houses on its demolition list are ranked according to how threatening they are.
"Priority is given to which houses pose the biggest risk to public safety," city spokesman Jason Lorenz said.
It's not just vacant homes that is being destroyed. It is whole neighborhoods, even a part of the city's history.
Schools, churches, businesses and mansions have been destroyed, leaving ugly scars for the remaining neighbors.
The 36-room Jackson-Hardy house -- a 3,500 square-foot, three story Queen Anne-style mansion that served as the Garland Hotel in the 1960s in Carriage Town -- was destroyed by a suspicious fire just days before it was to undergo extensive renovations three years ago.
“An awful lot of people sat there crying,” Carriage Town Historic Neighborhood Association President Tim Monahan said of the fire. “A lot of people just loved that house.”
The loss of buildings makes it difficult to remember the prominence that Flint once held in the nation’s economy, said White.
“There’s not going to be any indication of how great we were of an automotive industry,” White said. “Unless somebody goes to a history book they won’t know what Flint was like.”
Three years ago, the city's oldest school building -- Homedale Elementary on the city’s east side -- fell victim to arsonists.
“It was a community icon,” said Kevin Watkins, who started school there in 1969.
Today, it's a vacant lot.
The arson problem has been a difficult one for the city to get a handle on.
In the same span that the city logged 1,631 suspicious fires to vacants, just 135 arson-related charges were filed in Flint District Court.
“Arson cases are difficult because it’s rare that anyone sees who sets the fire,” said Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton.
Amid the city's financial troubles that have resulted in fire and police layoffs and the state takeover, the city has watched the number of full-time arson investigators drop from from three to one.
Cincinnati, by comparison, has eight arson investigators despite its population being less than three-times that of Flint.
Flint police Chief Alvern Lock said his department is making do with the resources it has.
"Whether it's adequate or not, that's what we've got," said Lock. "If you ask me, 'Do I want more arson investigators?' I will tell you, 'Yes.'"
In the meantime, the continued fires drive down already depressed property values and create fear for residents like Iser who waits to see if the next blaze will spread to his home.
"You just kind of get stuck here," said Iser. "The last man on the island."
Staff Writer Gary Ridley contributed to this report.
Dominic Adams is a reporter for MLive-Flint Journal. Contact him at dadams5@mlive.com or 810-241-8803. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook or Google+.
Last edited by untanglingwebs on Thu Apr 11, 2013 7:10 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Mon Mar 25, 2013 5:56 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Numero407Its the property owners, Scrappers, and kids. Sometimes it is neighborhood people who want the house demolished faster....
Gary Ridley | gridley@mlive.comYou're right. We've run in to examples of all of them in the city....
Gary Ridley | gridley@mlive.comThis is the first story in a nearly 20 story series that we have been working on for roughly 3 months exploring the impact arson has had on the city. The stories will be rolled out over the next three weeks. All of them can be viewed here: http://topics.mlive.com/tag/burning%20flint/index.......
User ID:http://connect.advance.net/user/GaryRidley/index.html |
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Mon Mar 25, 2013 6:02 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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A look at 10 cities with highest arson rates in the country
Arson in Flint
View the Slideshow >>(Gallery by Lauren Justice | ljustice@mlive.com) Gary Ridley | gridley@mlive.com By Gary Ridley | gridley@mlive.com The Flint Journal
on March 25, 2013 at 8:00 AM, updated March 25, 2013 at 10:08 AM Print
FLINT, MI -- Flint isn't alone when it comes to battling high rates of arson.
Although Flint led the nation in per capita arsons for cities with at least 100,000 in 2011, some cities across the nation, and particularly the Midwest, are dealing with elevated arson rates, according to the most-recent data released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Like Flint, many of the other cities experiencing high arson rates also have a plethora of vacant homes.
Here is a brief statistical look at the cities with the highest arson rates in the country:
1) Flint
Population: 102,357
Total arsons: 287
Arsons per 100,000 residents: 280
Percentage of vacant housing units: 26
2) Toledo, Ohio
Population: 287,418
Total arsons: 509
Arsons per 100,000 residents: 177
Percentage of vacant housing units: 15.6
3) Detroit
Population: 713,239
Total arsons: 957
Arsons per 100,000 residents: 134
Percentage of vacant housing units: 29.7
4) Buffalo, N.Y.
Population: 262,484
Total arsons: 347
Arsons per 100,000 residents: 132
Percentage of vacant housing units: 17.1
5) Cincinnati, Ohio
Population: 297,160
Total arsons: 328
Arsons per 100,000 residents: 110
Percentage of vacant housing units: 24.8
6) Dayton, Ohio
Population: 141,631
Total arsons: 149
Arsons per 100,000 residents: 105
Percentage of vacant housing units: 22.1
7) Rochester, N.Y.
Population: 211,511
Total arsons: 177
Arsons per 100,000 residents: 84
Percentage of vacant housing units: 14.8
 Cleveland, Ohio
Population: 397,106
Total arsons: 319
Arsons per 100,000 residents: 80
Percentage of vacant housing units: 21.8
9) Baton Rouge, La.
Population: 231,592
Total arsons: 179
Arsons per 100,000 residents: 77
Percentage of vacant housing units: 13.6
10) Evansville, Ind.
Population: 118,029
Total arsons: 88
Arsons per 100,000 residents: 75
Percentage of vacant housing units: 12.2
Sources: Population and arson data provided by the 2011 FBI Uniform Crime Report. The percentage of vacant housing units provided by 2011 estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Gary Ridley can be reached at 810-280-9516. You can also follow him on Twitter @GaryRidley or on Facebook. |
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Mon Mar 25, 2013 6:05 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Little left of Flint's Prospect Street, a victim of record-high arson rate
Dominic Adams | dadams5@mlive.com By Dominic Adams | dadams5@mlive.com The Flint Journal
on March 25, 2013 at 10:16 AM, updated March 25, 2013 at 10:44 AM Print
FLINT, MI – It's a street that's very name evokes a sense of opportunity and optimism.
There is little of either along Flint's Prospect Street where there are more vacant and burned out homes than inhabited ones.
The 2-mile stretch of Prospect that begins near Atwood Stadium and stretches northwest into the city ranks among the worst for arsons.
Last year alone it was home to 12 suspicious fires of vacant homes, the second-highest of any street in Flint in 2012, according to an MLive-Flint Journal analysis of Flint Fire Department records.
Four burned out foundations scar the block of Prospect between Dupont and Woodbridge streets where only two homes appear occupied and the rest are boarded up or empty.
Roosevelt Miller was home last summer when two vacant houses next to him were set on fire, spreading flames to his roof.
“When the fire department came, they just sprayed my house down and let (the other two) burn.”
Miller, 75, who has lived in a tidy home with a well-kept yard at Prospect and Woodbridge for nearly 20 years with his wife Judy, said Prospect looked far different when they bought the home from former Flint Mayor Harry Cull.
Cull's son, Kenneth, 54, said the street used to be alive with playing children.
“There were tons of kids in the neighborhood,” said Cull, who now lives in Arkansas. “It was just the type of neighborhood you would imagine when you say ‘middle class neighborhood.’”
Cull, whose father died in 2000, said he took a drive through the old neighborhood during a return to Flint a couple of years ago.
Prospect Street arson and crime
Bethany Hostetler, a resident of Prospect Street, and her sister Christina Brackins, talk about the crime that the vacant homes on her street bring to the area in which she lives.
“It seemed like every other house was boarded up,” he said. “When we lived there, you really didn’t have to lock your doors. Now everybody has bars on their windows.”
While Prospect Street suffered from a dozen fires last year, it had only seven total over the previous four years, the analysis of Flint Fire Department records showed.
All told the city reported 352 suspicious fires last year and 1,631 in the last five years.
“Certain areas just seem to draw more arson than other areas,” said retired Flint fire Battalion Chief Andy Graves.
Miller recalls a far different neighborhood from the one he sees now.
“It was beautiful – this area all along here,” Miller said. “The last five years it’s went down.”
His wife worries for their safety with all the abandoned and burned-out houses around the corner, but Roosevelt shrugs it off.
“I told my wife there ain’t no use in starting over on a new house,” he said. “I’d like to move, but where you going to move?”
Dominic Adams is a reporter for MLive-Flint Journal. Contact him at dadams5@mlive.com or 810-241-8803. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook or Google+. |
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Mon Mar 25, 2013 6:08 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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When the commercial buildings burnt on Chevrolet and Glenwood, the metal scrappers were working while the cinders were still smoldering!
That is another area hard hit by arsons. |
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Mon Mar 25, 2013 6:11 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Flint tallies nation's highest arson rate -- but has just one full-time arson investigator
Flint police Sgt. David Bigelow
Dominic Adams | dadams5@mlive.com By Dominic Adams | dadams5@mlive.com The Flint Journal
on April 01, 2013 at 5:50 AM, updated April 01, 2013 at 9:04 AM
FLINT, MI – In a city where arson has become an everyday occurrence, Flint police Sgt. Dave Bigelow fights an uphill battle.
Bigelow is the lone full-time Flint police investigator in a city that tops the national average for per capita arson fires.
Last year alone, Bigelow said he investigated 219 suspected arsons – an average of four a week.
And the number could have been much higher given that Flint fire officials reported 352 suspicious fires to vacant buildings for all of 2012.
In all, there have been 1,631 suspicious fires at vacant structures in Flint from 2008 to 2012, according to a MLive-Flint Journal analysis of Flint fire records. City officials said Flint does not track the number of suspicious fires to occupied structures.
The city had three arson investigators as recently as 2010, but Bigelow is the only full-timer left. He gets some help from Flint Fire Marshal Marcus Brown and state police fire inspector Sgt. Lenny Jaskulka, but Brown also works part-time as city code enforcement officer and Jaskulka has not worked since October because of a job-related injury.
So, it is usually Bigelow who rolls up alone in the city's arson van after the Flint Fire Department calls him to report a suspicious fire.
In one recent case, Bigelow was called after arsonists struck a vacant dentist office at Franklin and Illinois avenues in the early-morning hours of March 15.
Bigelow may have caught a break in the case because a nearby grocery store may have video surveillance of the suspected arsonist.
"Oh it was definitely arson," Bigelow said. "They poured something in there."
Later that same day, he's at the scene of a two-story vacant house fire on West Court Street. There were four different places where a suspected arsonist had started fires on the second floor of a home slated for demolition.
"Someone set it on fire again," a woman living two houses down strolls up and asks Bigelow.
"Yep," he replied, handing the woman his business card. "If you see anything, give us a call so we can catch these guys."
On most fires, Bigelow said he may spend three hours at a scene by the time he is done going through the building taking pictures, looking for where the blaze started and collecting evidence and witness statements.
Over the past three years, Bigelow said he has arrested between 20 and 30 people for arson in the last three years with Jaskulka's help.
He and Jaskulka were also able to make arrests after discovering an arson ring operating on the city's east side. The group, made mostly of teens and young adults, were accused of setting up to 100 vacant homes on fire.
Although there are enough suspicious fires alone to keep Bigelow busy, he also has the added task of taking on unsolved homicide cases.
"The caseload is high especially when you're catching old cases from guys who retired from homicide," Bigelow said. "I think a lot of it (the public) look at it as property damage. These arsonists are causing all our insurance rates to go up."
Flint police Chief Alvern Lock said he is making do with the resources he has.
"Whether it's adequate or not, that's what we've got," said Lock. "If you ask me, 'Do I want more arson investigators?' I will tell you 'yes.'"
He said the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms also help the city investigate suspicious fires and with "technical assistance."
"With limited resources you have to decide 'what are we going to gain by investigating,'" Lock said. "If it's a vacant house that has been vacant and is going to continue to be vacant, it's not going to get as in-depth investigation as one that had been recently occupied.
"You can't waste those resources (on suspicious fires) that don't have the elements (such as witnesses and physical evidence)."
Bigelow thinks the investigations make a difference.
"I think we're keeping the number (of arsons) down," Bigelow said.
"We're making arrests. We're doing what we can to arrest the suspects who are committing these crimes."
But Bigelow said most arsonists are never caught.
"Arson is a billion dollar industry," he said. "Unfortunately, there's only a 4 percent conviction rate. It's a very difficult crime to get a conviction on."
As it is with the city's homicide problem, Lock said arson convictions happen when community members help police.
"I take arson just as important as homicide," Lock said. "You're inflicting danger on the people in the surrounding structure. You're putting their lives at risk. We don't discount arsons."
Former city councilman and mayoral candidate Darryl E. Buchanan was at a Flint City Council meeting in March and said Bigelow needs more help.
"If one person is doing 400 investigations, they need some help," Buchanan said. "More people would help alleviate the backload that's happening. Arson is part of the public safety concern."
Buchanan said the city should use money collected form the public safety millage.
"You have to be highly trained to be an arson investigator," he said. "The more highly trained people we have the better we'll be."
Dominic Adams is a reporter for MLive-Flint Journal. Contact him at dadams5@mlive.com or 810-241-8803. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook or Google+.
evenly divided on right-to work law |
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Mon Apr 01, 2013 8:22 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Arson and violent crime in Flint sometimes go hand-in-hand
Print Gary Ridley | gridley@mlive.com By Gary Ridley | gridley@mlive.com The Flint Journal
on April 02, 2013 at 7:00 AM, updated April 02, 2013 at 11:29 AM
FLINT, MI -- Flint’s high arson rate has taken a toll on more than just the city’s buildings.
Records show that arson fires have played a role in violent crimes in a city that perennially ranks as one of the nation's most-violent.
Twenty of the 88 people charged with arson offenses in Flint from 2008 to 2012 also faced other non-arson related charges as part of their cases. Charges ranged from homicide and gun crimes to witness intimidation and stalking.
In one case, investigators blamed an arson-for-hire that went wrong for the death of one of the suspected arsonists. In another, arson was tied to the killing of two people in Flint.
Dian Williams, a Pennsylvania-based arsonist profiler, said it’s not uncommon to see arson related to other crimes.
"People who use fire to cover crimes are criminals first and arsonist secondary," said Williams.
Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton said that his office has encountered "occasional" cases where arson and violent crime intersected in Flint, but the extent to which violent crime and arson are related is unknown since arson cases have historically had low arrest rates.
There have only been 135 arson-related related charges in Flint District Court from 2008-2012 despite more than 1,000 confirmed arsons reported to the state and 1,631 fires at vacant buildings.
"You don't know until you actually develop a suspect," said Leyton.
Arson-for-hire gone wrong
A Flint man is awaiting trial after police say he killed a man with whom he was hired to burn down a dollar store last year.
Carl Douglas Holyfield Jr., 35, is facing charges of open murder and arson preparation to burn more than $20,000 after police say he killed Timothy Smith on Sept. 9.
Holyfield’s fiancé testified during a September 2012 preliminary exam that Holyfield killed Smith after the two were hired by a Flint store owner to burn down a Family Dollar on Franklin Road.
“He told me he had been offered $500 to burn down Family Dollar,” she testified.
Leyton said he isn't surprised to see people willing to commit an arson crime eventually commit a violent crime.
"Somebody who has crossed the line and committed a felony will often cross the line and commit another felony," Leyton said.
Michigan State Police trooper Tiffany Robbins, the detective who investigated Smith’s death, testified that Smith and Holyfield had been drinking and smoking marijuana prior to Smith’s death.
Holyfield and Smith allegedly went to the store around 4:30 a.m. Sept. 9, 2012, and began climbing up the side of the building, Robbins testified. Holyfield told her that he saw lights at a nearby house and car headlights and got scared.
Robbins said Holyfield called to Smith and the two men fled back to Holyfield’s van waiting nearby before catching the building on fire.
The two men began arguing and Smith wanted to get out of the van to go back and start the fire.
A fight ensued and ended with Holyfield allegedly chasing Smith in the van and running him over.
“He told me he ran him over and then turned around and ran him over again,” Holyfield's fiance' testified.
Holyfield, who was on parole at the time of Smith’s death, is currently awaiting trial in Genesee Circuit Court.
Double-murder cover-up
Two men were sentenced to prison in August 2012 after authorities said they shot and killed two people during an armed robbery in Flint and set the home on fire to cover the crime.
Geoffrey R. Whitty and Daricco Hemphill both faced murder charges after firefighters found the bodies of Maurice C. Orear and Michael Stone in a burning home on North Vernon Avenue near Bennett Avenue on Jan. 25, 2011.
Orear, who had allegedly stolen money from Hemphill, had money missing missing from his pockets, according to court records.
Leyton said these types of cases are rare, but there have been cases where arson and homicide cases intersect.
"It's usually an attempt by a perpetrator to cover the homicide," Leyton said.
Both men reached plea agreements with prosecutors, saving them from possibly spending life in prison.
Hemphill, 20, of Flint, pleaded guilty July 11 to two counts of second-degree murder and one count of armed robbery, arson and felony firearm.
He was sentenced by Genesee Circuit Judge Archie Hayman to spend 20-40 years in prison on the murder and armed robbery charges, 10-20 years in prison for the arson charge and received a two-year-term for felony firearms.
Whitty, 22, of Detroit, pleaded no contest July 18 to charges of accessory after the fact and armed robbery.
Hayman sentenced him to 10-20 years in prison on the armed robbery charge and 2-5 years on the accessory charge.
Neither men had served time in prison previously.
Gary Ridley can be reached at 810-280-9516. You can also follow him on Twitter @GaryRidley or on Facebook. |
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Tue Apr 02, 2013 10:45 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Insurance company says arson ring operated in Flint for two decades
Arson Ring
Gary Ridley | gridley@mlive.com By Gary Ridley | gridley@mlive.com The Flint Journal
Follow on Twitter
on April 11, 2013 at 5:50 AM
FLINT, MI -- An insurance company sued more than a dozen people claiming they operated an arson-for-profit ring in Flint that bilked insurers out of more than $2 million over two decades.
State Farm Insurance claimed fires purposely were started at homes that were owned or rented by the group named in the lawsuit. Then they filed insurance claims on the property damage to receive thousands of dollars in insurance payouts. There have been no criminal charges filed against any of the defendants in the case.
The case sparked counter lawsuits by some of the defendants. Six of those named in the State Farm lawsuit have settled – including Flint-based public adjustment company Allied and Associates and its president, Gary Lappin – who called the case a "witch hunt."
State Farm declined to comment on the case or how long it took to investigate, but the court file outlines an amazingly complex string of alleged associations and relationships dating back to 1992 and involving more than 40 fires.
Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton said his office does not file charges unless the accusations are brought forward in a police complaint.
The lawsuit claims that Lappin and/or Allied and Associates submitted more than 40 fraudulent claims to insurance companies, including at least 15 to State Farm.
The lawsuit claims Lappin helped submit the fraudulent claims to State Farm, working with two different groups of people allegedly responsible for setting the fires. Those two groups were comprised of people, most of whom lived in Flint and were connected by family, marriage, friendship or business.
"I absolutely did nothing wrong," said Lappin, adding that he feels targeted by the insurance company because he stands up for clients dealing with insurance companies.
Lappin's attorney, Michael Cafferty, said his client and State Farm reached a settlement agreement last week that will dismiss the claims against Lappin. Both Lappin and Cafferty declined to comment on the specifics of the settlement, which has not yet been filed with the court.
"My clients and I are delighted with the outcome of this case but are not at liberty to disclose any of the terms and conditions of the resolution negotiated prior to the court's hearing of the pending motions for dismissal and summary judgment filed on behalf of Mr. Lappin and Allied," Cafferty said in a statement sent to MLive-Flint Journal.
The fires occurred less than a year after theproperty was insured in 70 percent of the allegedly fraudulent claims handled by Lappin and/or Allied, according to the lawsuit.
In one instance, an insurance policy was purchased the very same day of the fire. At least two other fires occurred within two weeks of obtaining insurance coverage.
Lappin, sitting in his Flint Township office, said that he helped prepare the claims at issue in the lawsuit but he has no way of knowing how the fires started.
He added that nearly three-quarters of his business is obtained through referrals so it shouldn't be surprising that a number of his clients have personal connections.
One group named by State Farm in its lawsuit included some friends and family of Flint resident Derwin Sykes, who testified in a deposition that he has personally experienced 30 fires in his lifetime, two of which resulted in claims to State Farm.
"I'm clumsy with the cigarettes and I'm clumsy cooking, you know," Sykes said in a deposition with State Farm attorneys. "And everybody in town know that, so, you know."
Sykes could not be reached for comment and did not have an attorney listed in court records. He had a default judgment issued against him because he did not respond to the allegations.
The lawsuit claims a second group Lappin worked with included some friends and associates of Flint landlord Bruce Goodman. Goodman reached an undisclosed settlement in the lawsuit and his attorney, Loyst Fletcher Jr., declined to comment on the case.
At least 17 claims were filed by four of Goodman's family members combined, State Farm claims.
At least four otheracquaintances of Goodman named as defendants in the lawsuit also experienced fires and at least two hired Allied to handle the claims, according to the lawsuit.
Lappin agreed to negotiate on behalf of his clients to obtain money from the insurance companies to cover damage allegedly caused by the fires and living expenses, according to the lawsuit.
Those filing the alleged fraudulent insuranceclaims agreed to pay Lappin up to 10 percent of the final claim payout, the lawsuit states.
"I really think that the whole thing was just a vendetta for all the years fighting for clients," Lappin said, sharing numerous stories of times when his company was able to secure insurance settlements -- sometimes four-times larger than what the insurance company initially offered his clients.
The lawsuit also states that other insurance companies received fraudulent claims from Lappin. The total alleged fraud was $2.3 million, $1.2 million of which were State Farm claims, according to the lawsuit.
But Lappin said the claims made by State Farmhave also taken a financial toll on his business.
Lappin said his competitors have used the lawsuit to scare away potential clients and he foresees a continued loss of income due to the damage done to his reputation.
"I couldn't afford to keep fighting," Lappin said of his decision to settle.
Four other people accused in the suit have had their claims dismissed after they reached settlements with State Farm. The terms of the settlements were not disclosed.
The cases against two others were dismissed due to lack of evidence, according to court records.
Four others have had default judgments entered against them because they did not respond to the lawsuit.
Court records show that two people still faceallegations as part of the lawsuit. State Farm confirmed those cases are still ongoing.
Flint police arson investigator Sgt. David Bigelow said he was aware of the lawsuit but said no police investigation has been initiated on the allegations.
Bigelow, who is the city's only full-time arson investigator, has more than 1,000 open arson investigations ongoing right now and said Flint police simply do not have the manpower to launch that deep of an investigation.
Gary Ridley can be reached at 810-280-9516. You can also follow him on Twitter @GaryRidley or on Facebook. |
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Thu Apr 11, 2013 7:09 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Private investigators, insurance companies taking up hunt for arsonists
Arson in Flint
Gary Ridley | gridley@mlive.com By Gary Ridley | gridley@mlive.com The Flint Journal
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on April 11, 2013 at 7:00 AM, updated April 11, 2013 at 7:03 AM
FLINT, MI -- When the smoke clears after a suspicious fire in Flint, chances are pretty good that Flint police won't be the only ones looking for the arsonist.
After any given suspicious fire at an insured building, private investigators hired by insurance companies can be spotted combing for clues or knocking on neighbors’ doors looking for witnesses in an effort to find out how a fire started and what liabilities the insurance companies have.
“Arson is a crime of opportunity,” said Al Norris, owner of Providence Specialized Investigative Solutions in Diamondale. “A lot of people take that opportunity to make money.”
Norris said his private investigation firm specializes in finding witnesses and conducting surveillance to root out possible cases of insurance fraud.
Nearly 98 percent of his company’s work is for insurance companies, including jobs in Flint where there 1,631 suspicious vacant structure fires burned from 2008 to 2012.
The city has just one full-time arson investigator looking into those fires.
Insurance companies in Michigan are taking a closer look at arson-related insurance fraud in the state, according to data from the National Insurance Crime Bureau. Questionable fire-related insurance claims in Michigan increased by more than 9 percent in 2011, the last year data was available.
Questionable claims are those forwarded to the National Insurance Crime Bureau for review and investigation because they exhibit signs of possible fraud.
State Farm insurance company filed a lawsuit in federal court against more than a dozen Flint-area residents after its special investigation unit uncovered a possible insurance fraud ring operating in Flint for nearly two decades.
The suit was filed two years ago after investigators were able to find witnesses close to those involved in the ring who were willing to share information on the alleged scam.
State Farm declined to comment on the investigation since the case is still ongoing. No criminal charges were ever filed against those accused by the insurance company.
Kevin Pike, an investigator with the Troy-based Rehmann Corporate Investigative Services, said it’s not uncommon for investigators hired by insurance companies to give more attention to particular fires than their law enforcement counterparts.
“There’s time constraints,” said Pike. “They just don’t have the time.”
Norris agreed.
“We expend a lot more energy toward a specific claim,” said Norris. “We can put a lot more focus on a specific claim or group.”
Pike said private insurance investigators also have more resources at their disposal when it comes to investigating cases.
While law enforcement investigators have tight budget constraints, insurance investigators are backed by large corporations that are often willing to shell out the money needed to hire the experts necessary to solve a case.
Plus, some regulations -- including those involving questioning potential suspects -- are different when it comes to private investigators.
While police would have to provide Miranda rights if they take people into custody, Norris said private investigators can freely speak with anyone they like at any time they like.
Information that is gathered by insurance investigators can be shared with law enforcement and is admissible in criminal trials, Norris said.
"There's cooperation between the public sector and the private sector," said Flint police arson investigator Sgt. David Bigelow. "There's legal ways that both sides have to do to get info from the other party."
Bigelow said both sides follow specific processes when they share information so it will hold up to scrutiny in court. He says they cooperate like this "all the time."
However, this close relationship is problematic for some people.
Paul Bieber, director of the Monterey College of Law’s Arson Research Project, said that the relationship between public and private investigators can create bias in the outcome of the investigation.
Bieber said accounts of bias are not widespread, but when investigators who are supposed be independent begin working closely together they can influence each other’s investigation.
But, Norris and Pike said they have not had trouble in court with the evidence gleaned from their investigations and that private and police investigators should have cooperative relationships.
“We’re all out to advance the same goals,” said Norris.
Staff writer Dominic Adams contributed to this report.
Gary Ridley can be reached at 810-280-9516. You can also follow him on Twitter @GaryRidley or on Facebook. |
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Thu Apr 11, 2013 7:33 am |
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