UPDATE: DPS Makes Arrest From Arson Outside The Texas Capitol

DPS photo of Michael Patrick Wagner.
DPS photo of Michael Patrick Wagner.
Thursday update from a Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) news release:

The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) announced that the suspect wanted in connection with the investigation into the vehicle arson at the Texas State Capitol on August 7 was arrested Wednesday evening in Iowa. Michael Patrick Wagner, a 38-year-old resident of Iowa, was arrested by the Marion Police Department for an unrelated charge in Linn County yesterday. At the same time, DPS officers – two Texas Rangers and a Criminal Investigations Division Special Agent – were traveling to Iowa with an arrest warrant from Texas for a second-degree felony (arson).

“Thanks to great police and investigative work by local, state and federal law enforcement in Texas as well as our partners in Iowa, we are pleased to announce that the suspect in this case has been arrested,” said DPS Director Steven McCraw. “Visitors and employees at the state capitol can be assured that DPS works hard to keep them safe, and when a crime does occur, DPS works quickly to identify and locate those responsible.”

Wagner is currently being held in the Linn County Jail on an unrelated charge, and extradition proceedings related to the Texas warrant are pending.

DPS investigators followed up on numerous leads related to the vehicle arson and were able to identify Wagner’s vehicle through a capitol complex parking ticket. Wagner’s vehicle information ultimately led investigators to Linn County.

No other details are available at this time.

Original story from a DPS news release:

The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) in conjunction with the State Fire Marshal’s Office is conducting an arson investigation related to a vehicle that caught fire on the grounds of the Texas State Capitol on Friday. At approximately 2 p.m., emergency officials received reports of a vehicle on fire near the capitol, and DPS troopers and the Austin Fire Department responded and extinguished the flames.

The State Fire Marshal’s Office is processing the scene and gathering evidence to determine the exact origin of the fire. DPS is seeking the public’s assistance in gathering information about a person of interest related to this incident – see attached photograph. If the public has any information about this individual or this incident, they are urged to call law enforcement at (512) 472-TIPS (8477). (All tips can be offered anonymously.)

This investigation is ongoing, and no additional details are available at this time.

As always, DPS urges members of the public who observe something unusual to report suspicious activity to their local law enforcement agency (by calling 9-1-1) or through iWATCH at www.iwatchtx.org – a DPS website for submitting suspicious activity reports.

Photo courtesy of DPS showing the person of interest being sought in an arson outside the Texas state capitol August 8, 2015.
Photo courtesy of DPS showing the person of interest being sought in an arson outside the Texas state capitol August 8, 2015.

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