Firemen Charged With Arson

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[ Those charged are: Matthew Arndt, 23, of Willisville, a firefighter and former assistant fire chief; Michael DeSpain, 20, of Percy, a former Willisville firefighter; Seth Conway, 20, of Campbell Hill, a Willisville firefighter; and Gregory Cook, 19, of Evansville.

DeSpain is to have a first appearance in Perry County Circuit Court at 9 a.m. December 12. Arndt is to appear at 9 a.m. on December 8. Cook is to appear at 9 a.m. on Dec. 29 to advise the court of the status of an attorney to represent him.

A date for Conway in Randolph County Circuit Court was not immediately available.

The investigation was a partnership between the Perry and Randolph County Sheriff's Departments.

Perry County Sheriff Keith Kellerman said bond was set at $40,000 ($4,000) cash in Perry County for Matt Arndt, Michael Despain and Gregory Cook.

Bond was set at $20,000 for Cook, $15,000 for DeSpain and $15,000 for Seth Conway on related Randolph County charges. All men have bonded out.

Kellerman said authorities are confident of the core charges from their investigation, but are now connecting the dots on as many as 50 fires in two counties.

All four may face additional charges and other individuals could be charged as the investigation continues.

Sheriff Kellerman said Arndt, DeSpain and Conway were active in the fire department at the time of the fires.

He said some were field fires, but others including a summer home fire, damaged structures over a three-year period in western Perry County and eastern Randolph County.

Kellerman could not go into detail as to motive, but indicated that during preliminary interviews one of the four told him that he was "bored."