Suspect caught after

allegedly setting fire

to truck & attempting

to burn the Slip & Slide

from CLJNews.com

ESTIFFANUGLA, FL – A burning truck and a fleeing suspect kept the Liberty County Sheriff’s Dept. busy Tuesday afternoon when they received a call that a vehicle was on fire and it appeared that a man was trying to burn down the old Slip & Slide property on CR 12 South in Estiffanugla.

An attempt was made to set the building on fire but the man only succeed in charring the front door.

The Estiffanugla Fire Department responded to the scene,  extinguished the flames on the truck and secured the building.

At some point, the suspect walked onto the road and tried to get a ride from a woman who stopped after seeing the burning vehicle.  Because she was traveling with a child, she refused to let him in the vehicle.

The suspect fled into the woods and out to a creek. A dog tracking team soon caught up with the man and he was taken into custody.

“We got a call from an individual about a vehicle fire and also a person that witnessed an individual trying to start fires,” said Liberty County Sheriff Dusty Arnold. “Law enforcement started canvassing the area and found a person matching the description from the witness.”

The sheriff identified the suspect as Clayton Fennell Jr., who he said “started fighting with the deputies” before being taken into custody.

Fennell has been charged with burglary, two counts of arson – one for setting a vehicle on fire, the other count for attempting to burn down the former Slip and Slide building – as well as battery on a law enforcement officer.

LEFT:  Marks on the front door of the old Slip & Slide show where the suspect attempted to set the building on fire.  ABOVE:  A truck destroyed in a blaze was left at the scene.  TOP: The Estiffanulga Fire Truck is shown at the site after putting out the truck fire.

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