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James Robert Michael Langway, 34, who has no listed address, was arrested late on Tuesday, July 12, in Allegany County following an investigation into a dumpster fire that was lit behind the White Oaks Shopping Plaza in Cumberland, the state fire marshal announced.
At approximately 11:15 p.m. on Monday, July 11, crews from the Cumberland Fire Department responded to the shopping center, where there was a reported arson that threatened to spread to nearby buildings, officials said.
Firefighters were able to contain the flames, but ultimately the fire caused an estimated $1,200 in damages.
The following morning, officials said that deputy state fire marshals and members of the Cumberland Fire Marshal’s Office investigated the blaze, which led to them locating video of a suspect allegedly damaging property to the front of several businesses before he lit cardboard boxes and eventually the dumpster on fire.
The suspect - ultimately identified as Langway - was recognized by a Cumberland Police officer assisting investigators noticed his footwear while reviewing video surveillance of the dumpster fire on Tuesday afternoon.
The officer said that he remembered Langway and his distinctive flip-flops after making contact with him a few days earlier.
Langway was located, arrested, and charged with:
- Second-degree arson;
- Two counts of second-degree malicious burning;
- Two counts of malicious destruction of property.
He is currently being held at the Allegany County Detention Center as he awaits a bond review, officials said on Wednesday, July 13.
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