Volunteer firefighter in northern Montco intentionally set fires he later fought, police say
Justin Sholly admitted to setting three fires over Memorial Day weekend, including one near the home of his former boss who fired him last year, according to police.
Residents in Franconia Township, near Telford, were on edge last week as a spate of late-night, intentionally set fires damaged properties in the otherwise quiet area.
And on Tuesday, that tension turned to outrage when one of their neighbors, a man who had pledged to fight fires, was identified by police as the arsonist.
Justin Sholly, 19, was arrested late Monday and charged with arson, reckless burning, causing catastrophe, and related crimes. He remained in custody in lieu of $500,000 bail. His lawyer, Vincent Petersen, declined to comment Tuesday.
Sholly has volunteered for years with Perseverance Volunteer Fire Company, a small department that has served Souderton and its surrounding towns since 1901.
Investigators say Sholly set three fires in Franconia: two on May 29 and a third the following evening.
In an interview with police, Sholly admitted he set the fires, and later responded to two of them with the volunteer fire company, according to the affidavit of probable cause for his arrest.
He set the blazes using fire-starter logs and a lighter, items police later recovered from his car while serving a search warrant.
With the help of Pennsylvania State Police detectives, local police were able to identify Sholly as a suspect. His Ford Edge was captured by automatic license plate readers near the scene of two of the fires shortly before they were set, according to the affidavit.
Two of the fires, at a detached garage near a home on Chestnut Street and at a barn on Schoolhouse Road that was destroyed by the blaze, were set near homes that were occupied at the time, police said.
Sholly told police he lit the fire on Chestnut Street seeking revenge against his former boss for firing him — the man lived on the property where the garage was located.
Franconia Township Police Chief Michael Martin said Tuesday that he was grateful for the state police’s help in solving the crimes so quickly. He credited “great police work” and the tight-knit nature of the community with coming together to make sure the person responsible was apprehended.
Martin stressed that Sholly’s actions were not representative of the fire company as a whole.
“It’s always tough when somebody’s in a position of authority or power, and then they do the complete opposite of what the function of their job is, so to speak,” Martin said. “I think that the important thing is that the community can now take a collective sigh of relief.”
Sholly is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing before District Judge Adam T. Katzman on June 10.
