- About
- LDAF Boards and Commissions
- Programs
- Animal Health
- Forestry
- Agro-Consumer Services
- Industrial Hemp
- Medical Marijuana
- Indian Creek Recreation Area
- Quick Guide
- Pay Online
- Calendar
NEWS
Bienville Parish Man Arrested in Connection with Suspected Arsons
December 10, 2015
A joint investigation by the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF), the Louisiana State Fire Marshal’s Office and the Bienville Parish Sheriff’s Office has resulted in the arrest of a Castor man on three counts of aggravated arson.
Anthony Lane Cook, 36, of 191 Sawmill Road, was arrested Wednesday afternoon and charged in connection with allegedly setting two woods fires and a structure fire during the early morning hours of Wednesday, October 21, 2015.
Investigators said witnesses helped solve this case. One witness reported seeing a man wearing a white t-shirt running from behind a mobile home that was burning and then get into a pick-up truck and drive away. A witness provided a license plate number in which investigators were able to connect the vehicle to Cook.
“We greatly appreciate the assistance we received from the public in connection with this case. Our investigators work diligently to bring to justice those who put people’s lives in danger and property at risk of being destroyed by setting these fires,” said Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Mike Strain, D.V.M.
Cook was arrested and booked into the Bienville Parish Sheriff’s Office Jail. In addition to the arson charges, Cook was also charged with possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of schedule II drugs and resisting arrest.
Strain added that agents are continuing their investigations into numerous fires in the Bienville and Jackson Parish areas.
Strain and State Fire Marshal Butch Browning are asking the public to report any information they may have regarding these fires. The Louisiana Forestry Association and Weyerhauser Industries are offering up to a $4,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest and conviction. If you have information about who may be responsible for these fires, please call 855-452-5323.
###