Firefighter Patrick Wolterman rushed into a burning home in Hamilton, Ohio, last December, searching for an older couple believed to be inside.
But as crews worked the fire, Wolterman fell through one of the floors in the house and landed in the basement, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported.
He died in the early morning blaze, just days after Christmas.
“No matter when something like this occurs, there is just a deep sadness,” Hamilton Mayor Pat Moeller told the Enquirer at the time. “When a public servant dies in the line of duty, that’s tragic. It makes it an even worse situation during the holiday season, but whether it happens in January or June, it is still a tragic situation.”
Not long after, authorities announced that the fire was believed to be an act of arson, which meant Wolterman’s death would be investigated as a homicide.
Now, nearly a year after Wolterman dashed into the home, investigators have made an arrest in the case, apprehending the man who owned the property, Lester Parker.
“As of this afternoon, Parker has been arrested, and he’s in our custody,” Hamilton City Police Chief Craig Bucheit said at a news conference Monday. “Even after a year, this case is still a very active investigation. And I am confident this will not be the last arrest.”
Parker, 66, faces charges of aggravated arson and murder in connection with the fatal incident, the Hamilton Police Department said.
He has pleaded not guilty, reports indicate. A message left with his attorney was not immediately returned.
As he was being placed in a police cruiser, Parker denied the allegations against him, NBC affiliate WLWT reported.
“Excuse me, Mr. Parker: Do you have anything to say about the arson?” a reporter shouted during an exchange captured on video.
“Yeah, you need to find out the person that [did] it,” Parker responded.
“What?” the reporter yelled.
“You need to find the person that [did] it,” Parker repeated.
“You didn’t do it?” the woman asked.
“Absolutely not,” he responded as an officer placed him in the cruiser’s back seat.
Officials did not release many details at Monday’s news conference. Bucheit, the police chief, declined to comment on a possible motive, saying it would come out at trial.
“This loss hits close to home,” the chief said. “It’s a fellow member of our safety service community. . . . We know what a loss this has been for Patrick’s family, for his fellow firefighters, for our community. And that loss weighed heavily on our hearts and minds.”
According to the Journal-News, a fire began in the two-story home around 1 a.m. on Dec. 28.
The Enquirer reported that investigators discovered the blaze while responding to a burglar-alarm call.
Hamilton Fire Chief Steve Dawson told reporters that crews arrived to “heavy smoke” coming from three sides of the structure.
“Shortly after the initial attack, there was a catastrophic event, and firefighter Wolterman fell through the floor into the basement,” he said.
An engine called a “Mayday” at about 1:20 a.m., Dawson said. Wolterman was pulled from the building and taken to a hospital, where he died from his injuries.
After the fatal blaze, Parker told ABC affiliate WCPO that he had recently been the target of a break-in. The station reported that Parker and his wife had left for a trip to Las Vegas hours before the fire.
“Thank God no one was home,” their daughter, Melissa Lainhart, told the Enquirer after the fire. “There could have been three lives lost. I’m so sorry for the firefighter’s family. He is definitely in our prayers.”
It is somewhat unclear if authorities now believe Parker really left town. At this week’s news conference, Bucheit said that was “part of the investigation.”
“Again, there’s an overwhelming amount of evidence, and it is a very complex investigation,” Bucheit said. “We look forward to presenting that and clearing it up in trial.”
In news accounts, Wolterman was remembered as a reliable person and a hard worker – someone who would put the needs of others before his own. He was recently married, the Enquirer reported.
“The world lost a good man, that’s for sure,” Wolterman’s former coach, Dan Starkey, told the Enquirer. “You could tell he cared about people, even as a high school student. He always thought about other people before he thought of himself.”
Another Hamilton firefighter, Tony Harris, told The Washington Post that fire personnel had been hopeful of an eventual arrest, and that police would be able to pursue charges.
“We feel good that they finally found someone, found a person who they believe did it,” said Harris, who was speaking on behalf of IAFF Local 20, the firefighters’ union.
But the development also “brings up a lot of the same memories that we’ve already had over the last year,” he added. “It’s kind of just a bittersweet day, really.”
Featured Image: Hamilton Police Dept.
(c) 2016, The Washington Post ยท Sarah Larimer
