Suspect in custody for race track arson
By Diane Graff of the Daily Times staff
Tuesday, August 14, 2007 1:14 PM CDT
JUNEAU - An 18-year-old Beaver Dam man has been taken into custody on two felony counts of arson to Charter Raceway Park in Beaver Dam.
David Allhands is expected to make his initial appearance in Dodge County Circuit Court this afternoon on the two felony offenses, according to Dodge County Detective Robert Neuman.
Allhands was the primary suspect in the $750,000 arson fire that occurred at the raceway the afternoon of May 20, Neuman said.
Allhands turned 18 years old the day after the arson fire at the track located just east of Beaver Dam.
The fire at the race track destroyed the grandstand facility that was constructed in 1993. The state fire marshal ruled arson as the cause of the fire. The building was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived shortly after receiving the emergency call.
According to officials, a nearby farmer plowing a field observed a young man fleeing the scene shortly after the fire began.
The arrest was made possible after 90 days of extensive investigation, evidence collection and processing, Neuman said. The investigation included agencies from every level of law enforcement.
Assisting in the investigation was the Wisconsin Attorney General's Office, the state Division of Criminal Investigation and the Arson and Special Assignments Bureau along with the federal Department of Justice, Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. Locally, the Beaver Dam Fire Department and the Waupun Police Department's K9 unit assisted in the investigation.
On Friday the state crime lab had processed the DNA from a beverage bottle recovered at the scene of the fire, the detective said. The report showed the DNA on the bottle was a match with the DNA taken from the suspect.
District Attorney Steven Bauer was consulted with the information and Circuit Court Judge Andrew Bissonnette authorized the arrest of Allhands on Monday.
“Allhands had been our suspect from the start,” Neuman said. “A couple of hours after the fire, a citizen at a baseball field observed Allhands walking from the direction of Charter Raceway along Prospect Street in the city of Beaver Dam. Allhands matched the description of a suspect the woman heard broadcast over a police scanner. She made contact with an off-duty police officer from the city of Beaver Dam who was at the ball diamond with her,” Neuman said. That officer called his department and Allhands was confronted by the officer at the police department. The officer observed that Allhands was soaking wet, had several abrasions and his hair was singed. He was taken into custody and later released pending further investigation.
Another key piece of evidence was the witness account of a nearby farmer and his wife who reported the initial fire and observed Allhands run away, Neuman said. That same evening, the Waupun K9 unit was able to track the suspect's path as he fled the fire, he added.
Investigators recovered numerous articles believed to have been stolen from Charter Raceway Park along the path and were able to identify where Allhands had fled.
There had been reward money offered for the arrest and conviction of person or persons involved with the fire. The Wisconsin Arson Insurance Council had posted a $5,000 reward while the Dodge County Sheriff's Department and Karavan Trailer each have posted $2,500 rewards.
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