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WEST JORDAN — An arson charge has been filed against a West Jordan man who is also accused of falsely warning that a bomb was on a plane earlier this year.
Cameron Elvan Korth, 20, was charged Friday in 3rd District Court with arson, a third-degree felony, for allegedly setting a fire inside a large shipping container on the property of Jordan Valley Medical Center on Jan. 2.
Surveillance footage shows Korth twice setting fire to the container, which was being used as a storage shed, court documents say. The reported damage to the container and its contents was $3,600.
Korth is also charged in U.S. District Court in Denver with maliciously conveying false information. Korth allegedly wrote a note on United Airlines flight 231 on Jan. 16 that stated, "There is bombs on UA 231 do not attempt to land." That flight, from San Diego to Denver, landed at its intended destination and police found no explosives on board, authorities reported.
Korth allegedly told flight crew members that he found the warning in a bathroom on the plane. Federal court documents say he later admitted he wrote the note "to get help for his problems and that it was an impulsive act with no thought process behind it."
In Korth's arson case, the charges allege that he claimed he "discovered" the fire already burning and drove an ATV he had retrieved from the shipping container to a hospital entrance to retrieve a fire extinguisher.
Surveillance video shows Korth observing the fire for about two minutes before leaving the scene on the ATV, the charges state. A hospital employee told police she saw Korth "racing down the ambulance bay on the ATV saying there was a fire and that he needed to get a fire extinguisher."
Related:
West Jordan man accused of planting note on plane warning of bomb
An airline passenger has been arrested on charges of planting a note on a plane en route from San Diego to Denver that falsely claimed a bomb was on board.Fire investigators were able to rule out other potential causes for the fire, according to the charges.
"There was no electricity running through to the container, and there were no devices inside … that could have caused the fire," charging documents state. "Moreover, (the fire investigator) did not find any cigarette butts near the (structure)."
Records show Korth was out of custody as of Tuesday afternoon. A warrant for his arrest was issued Monday.
No initial court date has been set in Korth's arson case. His federal case is scheduled for a four-day jury trial beginning June 12.
Court records show Korth's prior criminal history in Utah includes convictions for DUI, retail theft, unlawful acquisition or possession of a financial transaction card, disorderly conduct, felony drug possession and a misdemeanor weapons offense.
