Suspected arsonist not charged, still faces legal trouble

Suspected arsonist not charged, still faces legal trouble

(Davis County Jail)


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PROVO — A man suspected in a series of arson fires in Provo in 2014 will not face criminal charges for now.

Haley Christensen with the Utah County Attorney's Office said the case submitted by Provo police alleging that Stevan Andrew Johnson, 25, is responsible for igniting at least 10 fires around the city — mostly in abandoned buildings — had been reviewed by her office.

"After carefully reviewing all of the available evidence, the Utah County Attorney’s Office determined there is not yet sufficient evidence to file and prosecute the case. However, Johnson remains the primary suspect," Christensen said in a prepared statement.

Johnson, however, is not out of the woods yet as far as his legal trouble goes.

He pleaded guilty in February in federal court to receiving obscene materials. Originally, Johnson was indicted on a possession of child pornography charge.

As part of the plea deal, when he is sentenced in September, prosecutors are expected to recommend to the court that he be sentenced to three years of supervised probation.

Officials do not believe the arson fires in Provo are connected to a string of arson fires in Orem where a suspected serial arsonist is believed to have caused more than $2 million in damage after setting fires to new construction projects, a gas station pump and a police car.

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Pat Reavy

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