The fire that shuttered Richland’s Fred Meyer for almost three days and caused millions worth of damage to the store and merchandise allegedly was started to cover up the theft of a PlayStation.
Daniel R. Wright was going to trade the video game console with Eliseo J. Garcia for heroin, court documents show.
But just 30 minutes after setting fire to a store display with yarn, Wright had Garcia drive him to the Benton County jail.
It didn’t take long for jail officials to confirm for Richland police that the man in the Fred Meyer surveillance video was the same man who had just checked into the Kennewick facility, documents said.
Wright denied being at Fred Meyer at 9:30 p.m. Jan. 26. However, his alibi — his wife — told investigators she had not seen her husband since 8 p.m.
She also identified him in the store video, court documents said.
Garcia kept the stolen PlayStation, documents said. It is valued at $399.
He denied knowing anything about the arson, claiming that he met up with Wright in the store parking lot.
Surveillance footage allegedly showed Garcia in the store before the fire.
Wright, 35, pleaded innocent Thursday in Benton County Superior Court to first-degree arson and first-degree trafficking in stolen property, both felonies.
Trial is set for March 26.
The arson charge includes the aggravating circumstance that it involved an economic loss substantially greater than is typical for the crime. An aggravating factor of recent recidivism is attached to the trafficking charge.
The West Richland man is locked up on $100,000 bail.
Garcia, 33, was charged Thursday with first-degree trafficking in stolen property. He will appear in court Friday.
The Kennewick man is being held on $10,000 bail.
Richland firefighters and police responded to the Wellsian Way Fred Meyer on Jan. 26 to find heavy smoke and flames coming from an area near the garden center.
The store was evacuated of employees and customers as the fire suppression system’s sprinklers put out the flames.
Store personnel immediately reviewed surveillance footage and learned the fire had been started intentionally.
The footage showed a man, later identified as Wright, come into the store and try to return a pair of headphones, court documents said.
The return was denied because all Wright could give a store employee was a faded paper identification, which was not legible.
That’s when he went toward the back of the store, set things on fire along one of the aisles and, as the clerks were distracted, walked out with a PlayStation box, documents said.
He didn’t pay for it.
A detective ran Wright’s picture to the county jail to see if the suspect looked familiar to the staff.
When Wright checked into the jail, he had on the same clothes worn by the alleged arsonist, court documents said. He also had on him a paper identification card that was unreadable, a cigarette lighter and a cellphone.
Garcia, arrested Monday, told police he considered turning himself in but was too scared.
Police say the two suspects exchanged text messages about a planned swap.
Wright had been serving a six-month sentence since Dec. 1 for theft, identity theft and possession of a stolen vehicle and of methamphetamine.
He was doing the time on work crew. Officials said they’ve yanked that and he must serve out his term until May 12.
