Man indicted in blaze at Arkansas apartment building that injured 2, killed dog

David Hartsell
David Hartsell

A former resident of the Germantown Apartments in Conway has been indicted on federal arson charges related to a Feb. 27 fire that injured two people, killed a dog and heavily damaged a 12-unit building.

The grand jury indicted David Hartsell, 50, on a charge of maliciously damaging the complex, in the process causing injuries to two people, and a charge of possessing three destructive devices in furtherance of arson.

The devices included two Molotov cocktails, defined in the indictment as glass bottles containing ignitable liquid and a cloth wick, and one improvised incendiary device, described as a plastic container holding ignitable liquid and a cloth wick.

Conway police, who worked with firefighters to make sure all residents were out of the building, said the fire was reported at 4:22 a.m., and the building was in flames when firefighters arrived.

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Hartsell was later arrested on state charges of arson and first-degree battery.

Conway Fire Chief Mike Winter said in February that one resident jumped from the second floor during the blaze and suffered minor injuries. A second person was hospitalized for treatment of burns, he said. Police said one dog died in the fire, and firefighters managed to rescue several other pets.

Seventeen residents of the complex at 955 S. German Lane were displaced by the fire.

Six of the building's apartments were heavily damaged by flames, and six other units received smoke damage, police spokesman LaTresha Woodruff said.

Woodruff said authorities found "some suspicious items in Hartsell's apartment," that turned out to be two Molotov cocktails.

An affidavit filed in Conway shortly after the fire said the blaze appeared to have originated in Hartsell's apartment.

"One cocktail was visible from outside the apartment and appeared to be a large bottle with the wick still attached sitting upon the kitchen counter," the affidavit said. "The other cocktail reported was a gasoline can under the sink also with a wick coming out of it."

Metro on 07/13/2017

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