William Sealey charged with starting multiple fires in Fayetteville

Lina Portman2 days ago

2 2 minutes read

A man out on bond for allegedly starting two fires in January is again accused of starting fires, this time at an abandoned motel on Cedar Creek Road last week.

William Jakob Sealey, 27, is charged with three misdemeanor counts of wildfire, two felony counts of burning certain buildings and one count each of possession of drug paraphernalia and second-degree trespassing in the June 20 incident, according to court documents. In the January fires, he is charged with two felony counts of wildfire, the filing states.

According to an arrest warrant, emergency services were called to a fire in a ditch near the BP gas station at 1930 Cedar Creek Road around 4:30 p.m.

At 6:05 p.m., officers were called to respond to a large brush fire behind the nearby abandoned Motel 6. About a half-acre of woods and fields burned, according to court records.

While working on the wood fire, authorities discovered that additional fires had been set inside two of the bathtubs in the vacant motel rooms. In room 243, a plastic spray bottle was on fire and in room 263, a pile of debris was burning, the filing states.

The filing states that Sealey was arrested at the scene after a police officer allegedly spotted him trying to light a stick on fire on metal stairs.

The filing states that after Sealey was arrested, a gas station employee identified him as the man she saw lighting the fire in the ditch.

He was released, however, before an employee at the nearby Red Roof Inn said he saw Sealey near the larger fire behind the Motel 6, according to an affidavit. Additionally, a parole officer who happened to be in the area also came forward and said he saw Sealey lying on the ground near a dumpster behind the motel with a small fire next to him and while the wood fire burned.

Sealey was arrested a second time at the scene after a police officer allegedly saw him attempt to light a stick, the filing states.

This time he was arrested, documents show.

More: Autopsy finds Fayetteville man shot more than a dozen times in fatal December shooting

Arrest in January

Last week's incidents are not the first time Sealey has been accused of starting fires.

On Jan. 21 around 10:30 p.m., according to an affidavit, officers were called to the Exxon at 2100 Cedar Creek Road on a report that a man had started several fires near Exit 49 of Interstate 95.

When police arrived at the scene, they found a plastic container in the gas station parking lot with pink underwear lying next to it.

A police dog was dispatched to the scene and followed a trail into the woods where they reportedly located Sealey standing in the middle of three fires.

The affidavit said Sealey matched a photograph provided to police the day before by someone who had taken a picture of a person lighting a fire in the woods near the Travelodge at 2076 Cedar Creek Road, less than 400 feet from the Exxon.

At the time of his arrest in the January case, a magistrate noted Jan. 22 that Sealey, who is described as homeless, “represents a danger to the public and, if released, will likely trigger more fires in or near businesses.

Ultimately, Sealey was released on $1,000 unsecured bail and failed to appear in court April 26 for his first appearance in the January fires, the filing states.

He is being held in the Cumberland County Jail with bail set at $50,000, jail records show.

Public safety reporter Joseph Pierre can be reached at [email protected].

Arrest in January

Lina Portman

Related Articles

Biden apologizes to Zelensky for congressional blockade on weapons

Impaired driver who fatally struck two Nevada state troopers receives maximum prison sentence

At least 49 migrants killed and 140 missing

Man jailed for indecent assault of teenage girl in her own home