Arson

Officers on patrol at 5:40 a.m. Sunday saw a man put a red gasoline container by the Crossroads Tavern in the 7300 block of Ritchie Highway in Glen Burnie and light a wick that was on the top of the container, Anne Arundel County police said. The fire was extinguished before it ignited the building, and a man was arrested on arson and related charges, police said. Police identified him as David Bryan Rexrode, 42, of the 500 block of Kent Circle, Glen Burnie. - Andrea F. Siegel

Anne Arundel County Police on Thursday arrested a Ferndale man who they said called 911 and threatened a bomb attack similar to that of Monday's explosions at the Boston Marathon that killed three people and left almost 200 others injured. Police officials said in a release that at approximately 12:38 p.m. on Wednesday a person called 911 and said, "I'm from Boston and I'm going to blow some more stuff up. " The caller then hung up, officials said. The dispatcher began researching calls in the area where the call originated - the 1300 block of Broadview Road, police said.

Officers on patrol at 5:40 a.m. Sunday saw a man put a red gasoline container by the Crossroads Tavern, in the 7300 block of Ritchie Highway in Glen Burnie, and light a wick that was on the top of the container, Anne Arundel County police said. The fire was extinguished before it ignited the building, and a man was arrested on arson and related charges, police said. Police identified him as David Bryan Rexrode, 42, of the 500 block of Kent Circle, Glen Burnie.

The Deputy State Fire Marshal is calling for the public's help as officials work to solve a series of suspected arsons in the Cambridge area of Dorchester County. The latest fire occurred 10:17 p.m. Friday, April 5, and involved a two-story, vacant home at 812 Fairmount Avenue, according to the State Fire Marshal's Office. Officials said three other fires occurred on March 20 and March 26. The first fire March 20, at 11:44 p.m., occurred at 617 High Street and involved a vacant two-story single family dwelling.

UPPER MARLBORO — Authorities say a house fire that injured seven Prince George's County firefighters in Riverdale was arson. One firefighter remains hospitalized, in critical but stable condition, after Friday's fire. Kevin O'Toole is expected to stay in the hospital for weeks. Officials said at a news conference Wednesday that the fire was started in the basement of the home.

The Hip Hop Fish & Chicken carry-out restaurant caught fire early Saturday in the 2800 block of Hillen Road in Baltimore, authorities said. Chief Kevin Cartwright of the Baltimore City Fire Department said firefighters arrived at the restaurant, which appeared unoccupied, around 3:45 a.m. No injuries to civilians or firefighters were reported, Cartwright said. The fire was under control by 6 a.m., but a few firefighters remain on the scene, he added.. Firefighters found heavy smoke coming from the one-story building that once operated as a KFC, Cartwright said.

A 14-year-old boy has been charged with arson and illegal firearms use in connection with damage to a boat in northern Harford County, the Office of the State Fire Marshal said. A joint investigation by the fire marshal's office and the Harford County Sheriff's Office resulted in charges being brought against the juvenile, the fire marshal's office said in a news release. Investigators found a 16-foot bassmaster fishing boat located in the 4300 block of Auer Lane in Darlington had been heavily damaged by fire and that the 14-year-old and an 18-year-old were allegedly igniting fireworks Sunday at 10:30 a.m. Fire damage to the boat is estimated at $2,000, according to the fire marshal's office.

An early Friday morning fire in Glen Burnie displacing two people was ruled an arson, an Anne Arundel County Fire Department spokesman said. No one was injured when the two-story townhome caught fire in the 300 block for Valiant Circle, said Lt. Kevin Hamilton, spokesman with the department. The fire was considered "suspicious in nature," and it is believed that someone caused it, he said. About 20 firefighters were called at 1:43 a.m. Friday and was extinguished within about 20 minutes, he said.

Deputy state fire marshals have arrested a second person in connection with the intentional burning of a car in Aberdeen in November. Brenden Anthony Johnson, 20, turned himself in March 13 at the Harford County Detention Center, according to a news release from the Maryland State Fire Marshal's Office, which said investigators had served Johnson with an arrest warrant for his involvement in the burning of the vehicle. According to Maryland electronic court records, Johnson, whose address is listed in the 4200 block of Cowan Place in Belcamp, is charged with second-degree arson, first-degree malicious burning and malicious destruction of property.

Friends and family of Ellison McCall Jr., who was brutally beaten and set on fire after earlier intervening in a bar fight in Northeast Baltimore, held a vigil Sunday to celebrate his life and press for answers on the year anniversary of his death , The Sun's Tricia Bishop reports. "This was a good guy," said friend Floyd Benton Jr. "He had no enemies. " McCall, 30, was working as a bartender at the New Haven Lounge a year ago and got into an altercation with some patrons, friends told The Baltimore Sun at the time.

Howard County police have arrested a man they say set fire to an apartment in Columbia Friday and hurled obscenities at police officers before fleeing. Alejandro Adolfo Rodriguez, 25, of the 5300 block of Harpers Farm Road in Columbia, is charged with first- and second-degree assault, first- and second-degree arson, and malicious burning. Police spotted him walking in the 5400 block of Eliots Oak Road in Columbia and arrested him without incident at about 1:30 p.m. Saturday, they said.

An early-morning fire on Saturday destroyed a maintenance building on the property of St. Joseph Church in Fullerton, according to church and county fire officials. But church officials said the parish's celebration of Easter services on Sunday would not be affected by the incident. Church officials, in a statement on the church website, said the blaze was the result of arson, though county fire officials have not given an official cause. Emergency units were dispatched at 3:25 a.m. and arrived at the church in the 8400 block of Bel Air Road about 3:30 a.m. to find the building in flames, said Lt. Julia Dillard, a county fire spokeswoman.

Deputy state fire marshals have arrested a second person in connection with the intentional burning of a car in Aberdeen in November. Brenden Anthony Johnson, 20, turned himself in March 13 at the Harford County Detention Center, according to a news release from the Maryland State Fire Marshal's Office, which said investigators had served Johnson with an arrest warrant for his involvement in the burning of the vehicle. According to Maryland electronic court records, Johnson, whose address is listed in the 4200 block of Cowan Place in Belcamp, is charged with second-degree arson, first-degree malicious burning and malicious destruction of property.

A 25-year-old Woodlawn woman has been charged with arson, assault and destruction of property after allegedly setting fire to her own home Saturday morning, then kicking out the window of a police patrol car and assaulting an officer after her arrest, according to Baltimore County Police. Police initially responded to the home of Ashley Joy Davis, in the 1600 block of Langford Road, about 5:44 a.m. for a report of a suicidal person, but upon an initial investigation determined a simple assault had occurred at the residence, said Cpl. John Wachter, a police spokesman.

The Maryland State Fire Marshal's Office said Friday it had arrested a man and charged him with arson  after he allegedly started a fire outside Cranberry Square Shopping Center in Westminster. According to a release, Edwin Lawrence Kaiss Jr., 49, was taken into custody without incident after deputies identified him as a suspect in a small fire that was set at about 3:20 p.m. behind the shopping center located at 405 N. Center St., off Route 140, in Westminster. According to the fire marshal's office, investigators believe a man removed combustibles from a trash receptacle and set fire to them near the building.

A 15-year-old Glen Burnie boy was charged with intentionally setting a fire in a bathroom trash can at Glen Burnie High School on Tuesday, according to Anne Arundel County Police. Police responded to the school in the 7500 block of Baltimore Annapolis Boulevard about 9:35 a.m. after school officials found and extinguished a small fire in a men's bathroom at the school, police said. An investigation of the fire by arson investigators determined it was intentionally set, and resulted in the boy's being named a suspect and arrested, police said.

A fire Thursday evening in a Glen Burnie apartment complex was set intentionally, according to the Anne Arundel County Fire Department. The fire occurred just after 7 p.m. in a second-floor storage area in the Windbrooke Apartments, in the 7900 block of Silent Shadow Court, a department statement Friday said. The small fire was contained by sprinklers and was quickly extinguished, but fire investigators have determined that the flames were started on purpose. The fire department asks anyone with information about the fire to call investigators at 410-222-TIPS (8477)

A house fire in Eastern Baltimore County that left one woman severely burned Wednesday was ruled an arson, a fire department spokeswoman said. The 47-year-old was taken to the burn unit at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center and treated for serious burns, said spokeswoman Elise Armacost. Firefighters were called at about 10:45 a.m. to the 7900 block of E. Baltimore St. for the one-alarm fire. The woman had been inside the bedroom when she was injured, Armacost said. The investigation continues.

A 69-year-old Edgewood man, who told investigators he was trying to rid his home of "evil spirits," has been charged with arson in connection with a fire at the dwelling last month. William E. Lowry was served with warrants at the Harford County Detention Center on Thursday charging him with first-degree and second-degree arson in connection with the Oct. 11 fire, according to the Maryland State Fire Marshal's Office. "The investigation by deputy state fire marshals revealed the owner of the property, William E. Lowry, 69, was responsible for intentionally setting the fire on an enclosed deck connected to the home," the Fire Marshal's Office said in a news release announcing the charges.

Baltimore County police have ruled a house fire in Towson Monday an arson and have also determined the residence in the 7000 block of Bellona Ave. was robbed. Investigators have discovered evidence that the suspect used an accelerant to start the fire in two separate locations in the home. A 2006 Porsche Cayenne, with Maryland tags 584M126, is missing from the residence, as are a TV and DVD player and several other items. Anyone with information about this crime should call the Police Arson Squad at 410-887-4870.