FRANKLIN — An 18-year-old Johnson County firefighter faces arson charges after he allegedly set three structure fires during the early-morning hours Wednesday.
According to the Whiteland Fire Department, the suspect joined the department in February. He's been suspended and faces termination.
According to the Franklin Police Department, officers became suspicious when they pulled the suspect over for erratic driving on U.S. 31 at 6:30 a.m. Besides showing signs of impairment, the suspect smelled of gasoline and was covered in soot.
Police were aware that three early-morning structure fires has been set in nearby Whiteland and Greenwood in the hours just before the traffic stop.
The suspect, who is from the small Johnson County town of Needham, was questioned at police headquarters and detectives developed probable cause linking him to three fires.
The man faces preliminary charges of operating while impaired, possession of paraphernalia, possession of marijuana, consumption of alcohol by a minor, and three counts of arson.
