A former firefighter and his wife are indicted for arson.
Jason and Kelly Doyle's Lockhart home is now being restored to how it looked last year.
According to Caldwell County District Attorney Trey Hicks, firefighters responded to the home on December 30th, 2008. A fire was in the garage by the water heater. It was ruled accidental by Chief Jerry Doyle, who happens to be Jason's father. Chief Doyle believed the fire to be electrical.
Forty-eight hours later, firefighters came out again. This time the fire was in a child's bedroom. There was heavy smoke damage in the home. Chief Doyle ruled the cause of this fire as undetermined.
Then on January 6th, Jason Doyle's grandmother's rural Caldwell County house burned to the ground. The state fire marshal was called in at that point and determined it was arson.
"In the process of investigating that fire, our fire investigator determined that there were reasons to expand the investigation,” said State Fire Marshal Spokesperson Jerry Hagins.
Hagins says the marshal investigating re-opened the previous cases and also ruled them arson. The couple was arrested in May and just last week indicted by a grand jury for five felonies.
The fires at the couples’ home resulted in more serious charges. In the first fire, the couples' two youngest children were inside. That netted with child endangerment charges. In the second fire, a firefighter was injured trying to put it out. So for that, the second degree arson charge was heightened to first degree.
"The thought that arson is just a crime against property is a misconception because firefighters put their lives on the line to fight any fire,” Hagins said.
At the time of the fires, Jason Doyle was putting his life on the line working as a firefighter at the Victoria County Regional Airport.
He resigned in March citing personal reasons. He now awaits a court date with his wife.
According to Lockhart City Manager Vance Rodgers, the district attorney presented evidence for a tampering charge against Chief Jerry Doyle. The grand jury did not indict him. He remains employed. He has been with the Lockhart Fire Department for 30 years.
