WIMBERLY, Texas – A Wimberley man has been arrested and charged with three counts of Felony 2 Arson after setting fire to three vehicles, Hays County officials say.
Kirill O. Belchenko, 32, was arrested and booked into the Hays County jail on Sept. 21, following an investigation by the Hays County Fire Marshal and Hays County Sheriff’s Office.
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Fire Marshal Nathan Mendenhall said the vehicle arson occurred in the 3400 block of Ranch Road 32 on Sept. 21.
In a statement, Mendenhall said Belchenko set fire to three of his uncles’ vehicles and also claimed that he placed a pipe bomb on the property.
“We were able to secure information from Kirill Belchenko, along with his mother and step-father, that led to the issuance of three arrest warrants for arson of a vehicle,” Mendenhall said. “There was also physical evidence at the scene that was collected and sent to the state crime lab for analysis.”
In Mendenhall’s statement, Belchenko said he burned a blue classic truck, a yellow collectible car and a van. He then told his mother where to find the vehicles in the woods and said he also placed a pipe bomb on the property.
Additionally, Belchenko told fire and law enforcement investigators that he set fire to a utility pole on the property.
“Belchenko’s behavior poses a clear hazard to the safety of the citizens in the area and to area property owners,” Mendenhall said.
Mendenhall credited the Hays County Deputy Fire Marshals and Sheriff’s Office deputies by collecting the evidence and statements from Belchenko that aided in securing the three arrest warrants.
Related: Arson investigators looking for cause of fire at apartment complex on North Side