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| For Immediate Release: |
Date:
February 17, 2000 |
| Contact: Bart McEntire ATF Resident Agent in Charge Roanoke, VA 540-857-2300 |
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Roanoke, VA - Patrick D. Hynes, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF Washington Field Division, Lt. Col. Darrell E. Stilwell, Director Bureau of Criminal Investigations, Virginia State Police and Robert P. Crouch, United States Attorney, Western Judicial District of Virginia announced the arrest of John Daniel Payne, a former cadet, for Arson. On May 2, 1998 a fire was intentionally set in the cadet barracks room within the Virginia Military Institute, a registered "National Historic Landmark". Although the building was occupied no injuries were reported. The fire was set subsequent to expulsion of six cadets by the VMI Honor Court for hazing violations. The entire VMI Corps of Cadets was informed of the Honor Court expulsion "drum out" at 3:30 a.m. Shortly thereafter, the fire was reported. A quick response by VMI cadets resulted in the extinguishing of the fire before it could spread throughout the barracks.
The Virginia State Police, ATF and the United States Attorney investigated this fire and presented their findings to the Federal Grand Jury in Roanoke, who issued an indictment for Arson and Obstruction of Justice against Payne. The arrest warrant for Payne was executed by ATF and the Virginia State Police on February 17,2000, without incident. Payne was taken into custody in Ashland, Virginia and is scheduled to be arraigned in U.S. District Court in Richmond, VA. The Federal Arson statute carries a twenty-year penalty.
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This was last updated on February 19, 2000