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NEWS
Flatwoods Man Arrested for Two Counts of Simple Arson
February 8, 2018
Baton Rouge, La. (February 8, 2018) – Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF) investigators arrested a Flatwoods, La. man in connection with a suspected arson in Natchitoches Parish.
Twenty-eight year old Leonard Allen Bennett III was arrested February 1, 2018 at his Rapides Parish home by forestry enforcement agents.
Last December, the Forestry Enforcement Division received a complaint of arson at a timber management company in Natchitoches Parish. Following an investigation, enforcement agents say Bennett admitted to setting two fires, one of which resulted in a loss of $827.40 of harvested timber.
“Arson is a crime that can quickly get out of control. Not only is property damaged or lost, but depending on where these fires are set, it can threaten people’s lives, their homes and valuable timberland,” said LDAF Commissioner Mike Strain, D.V.M.
Bennett was booked into the Rapides Parish Detention Center where he is currently held without bond awaiting in state extradition to Natchitoches Parish.
If convicted of simple arson where the damage amounts to $500 or more, penalty includes a fine up to $15,000 and jail time at hard labor for up to 15 years.